Courage of the Heart
by TreasurePlanetJimxZara
Summary: A year has passed since Jim and Zarabeth said "I do", everything simply falling into place from there. Jim was now captain of his own ship, Zara was busy helping with the Inn, nothing could be better. In honor of their first anniversary, Jim thought having Zara join him on his next flight would be a perfect way to have his wife and work together. He couldn't see the danger in it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Ok, hot tea coming through! Excuse me ladies. And Andrew."

Zarabeth hoisted the heavy tray level to her shoulders as she made her way through the maze of small children, the group giggling and squealing in glee around her legs.

The four Doppler children followed her every step from the kitchen to the living room adjoining it, eagerly crawling back into their seats around the coffee table as they waited to be served.

"Alright, we've got cream and sugar for the princess, another for the teacher, just sugar for the hairdresser, and one plain tea for the pirate."

The four children took their designated cups from Zara, the girls giving their brother funny looks as they watched him take a sip of his.

The blond, Susan, who'd dressed up as a princess for the occasion, giggled quietly as Andrew's face scrunched up a little at the taste of his drink. "Andy, you won't like it without sugar."

The little dog-boy hurriedly shook his head as he rearranged the plumed hat on his little head. "Pirates don't put stuff in their tea. They like it black. No sugar for me."

Zara laughed quietly as she sat on the couch beside her nephew, teasingly lowering the small plate she was holding. "So is that a 'no' to a cookie?"

The little boy's eyes widened as he looked hungrily at the stack of decorated sweets, an almost guilty smile crossing his small mouth as he took the one closest to him. "Who said anything about cookies?"

Amelia Doppler sat beside her daughter Alexandra, watching in satisfaction as her children played with Zarabeth. It made her happy to see them get along so well, a certain thought always seeming to cross her mind whenever she saw how lovingly the girl took care of her nieces and nephew. "When is James to return home?"

"Sometime later tonight or early tomorrow." Zara was distracted from her reply for a moment as she tucked Elizabeth's hair behind one of her feline ears, hoping to keep it out of her tea. "It just depends on how long it takes for them to finish up with all the paperwork and such."

"How well I understand."

"Where's Morph?"

"Yeah, I wanna play with Morphy."

Tickling one of Andrew's ears, Zara was quick to point out that the little pink shape-shifter wasn't there. "He'll come home with Jim."

Taking a moment to sip at the tea balanced in her hand, a small smile crossed Amelia's lips as she looked over her cup towards the girl. "James will be home for your anniversary then?"

"Thankfully, yes. He's not scheduled to fly for another three weeks. Oh Lizzy, dear, you're going to get frosting in your hair. Here, let's just tie it back for now." Pulling the ribbon out from her own hair, Zara was quick to secure the girl's brunette locks behind her.

"Zarabeth, darling, tell me. When do you and James plan on starting your own family?" Amelia couldn't hide the twinkle of amusement in her eyes as she saw the surprise in Zara's look, the question having the effect she was hoping for.

"Well, uh-"

Zarabeth's fumbled attempt at a reply was cut short as she felt a tiny hand laid against her stomach, glancing down to see Elizabeth looking up in excitement. "Aunty has a baby?"

"Let me feel!" Susan scrambled out of her chair to join her sister, the two quickly joined by their other sister as she left Amelia's side to join in on the discovery.

"No, girls. I'm not having a baby." It was impossible for Zara to keep from laughing at her nieces' reactions, looking from them to their mother as she finally managed to reply.

"Of course Jim and I want children, someday, we just haven't really discussed it yet."

"I want a cousin!"

"Me too!"

"Oh make it a girl! Please, please!"

"No, it should be a boy! I don't want to be the only one." Andrew finally joined in the conversation, his eyes pleading almost as he looked at his aunt. "I'll give you everything in my piggy bank to make it a boy."

"How about this." Pulling the children up to all sit around her, Zarabeth looked from one little excited face to the next. "I'll tell Uncle Jim what you all think and we'll go from there. You'll be the first to know if I'm going to have a baby. Alright?"

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The children satisfied with that, their mother's reluctant words brought on a chorus of disappointed reactions.

"Gather your things, my darlings, it's time we were headed out. No, stop your fussing. We promised to meet your father in town, and we're late as it is. Make sure to thank Aunt Zarabeth for letting you come and play."

Zara was smothered by the four children eager to hug and kiss her goodbye, walking out to help load them into the carriage before waving goodbye.

Hugging her before joining her children, Amelia held Zarabeth at arm's length as she smiled warmly. "Tell James hello from us, and please stop by sometime next week. We have a little something to give you for your anniversary."

"Thank you, Amelia. We'll be sure to do that."

Left alone standing in front of the house, Zara waved until the carriage had made its way onto the main road, the girl content to stand in the warm afternoon light for a moment, smiling to herself.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet. She could even hear the breeze as it drifted lazily through the leaves of the single tree growing on the north side of the house.

She couldn't wait for Jim to come home. Having Amelia and the children over was one of the only ways that Zara could stay content for the stretches of time while he was gone.

Slowly making her way back inside, she decided the best way to make the time go by would be to distract herself in the kitchen. Unsure of what to do, she opened up one of the cupboards above the stove to retrieve the cookbook the Dopllers had given them on her and Jim's wedding the year before. Flipping mindlessly through the pages, waiting for a picture or recipe title to jump out at her, Zara's mind began to wander as she thought about Jim.

How did the year fly by so quickly? Next week would mark their first year of marriage, the first of many promised to come. In that short year, Jim had been made Captain of the R.L.S. Aberdeen, he and his crew gone about every other couple of weeks on assignments. Zarabeth was relieved that they were mostly sent out to accompany and protect merchant vessels or ships transporting important political figures, nothing too dangerous, yet interesting enough to keep Jim from feeling bored. He loved his crew and the officer working under him. He was able to hire the same crew more often than not, giving him the opportunity to know them more personally and, in turn, feel secure in trusting them. Jim felt that that bond of trust was more important than anything, his ultimate goal being to keep from having a repeat of the events aboard the Legacy.

The girl's mind returned to the present as she settled on a chocolate cake recipe she knew was one of Jim's favorites. It'd be a surprise for when he got home.

It didn't take long for her to finish the batter, giving it a few more rigorous stirs before dipping her finger into the chocolate to taste it. Zarabeth closed her eyes in satisfaction as she smiled. "Perfect."

"Chocolate huh?"

Zara jumped in complete surprise as a voice spoke low to her ear, hurriedly turning around in the arms that now held her as she laughed at her own relief. "Jim! Etherium's sake, you scared me."

Too happy to see him to be mad, she hugged him tight as he buried his face against her shoulder, pickering her up a little as he swung her around so that he was standing where she had been.

Pulling away just enough to see Zara's face, the look on his own was so full of love and contentment, his crystal eyes sparkled like the stars as he leaned in to give the girl a gentle kiss. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Smiling into the kiss, Zara wrapped her arms even more securely around him, afraid that he was only a figment, sure to disappear if she let go.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you back so early? I thought you weren't supposed to be home till tonight."

Chuckling quietly as he continued to shower small kisses on her cheeks and forehead, Jim was unable to keep from smiling as he replied in a joking tone. "Can't a man come home early to be with his beautiful wife?"

Though smiling back at him, her brows where raised in genuine curiosity, getting the boy to answer her without another word of encouragement.

"We managed to dock early. Dodged in front of a couple of freighters to do it, but we did. And as far as the reports and stuff, Felix told me to just get home, he'd take care of it."

Moving her arms to wrap around his neck, Zara stretched upward to leave another gentle kiss against his lips, her voice hushed as she took a moment to admire Jim in his uniform. "I'll have to thank him when I meet him, whenever that may be. What would you do without him?"

"Not much, I can tell ya that."

Felix Estrada was Jim's first officer, and his biggest help in the transition of becoming captain. Felix had been the first officer aboard the Aberdeen for the previous captain, more than willing to help Jim ease into his new role of authority. Zarabeth had yet to meet Felix, but she'd heard nothing but praise, making her thankful enough for them both that he was looking out for Jim in the last year.

The boy donned a mischievous smile as he reached his hand behind him, pulling it back up to taste the batter on his finger before smiling. "Mmm. Couldn't have asked for a better welcoming party."

"Jim, if you keep eating it, there won't be enough for the cake."

"Who says you have to bake it?" Releasing his hold on Zara, he reached for two spoons before handing one to her in a theatrical manner. "The batter's the best part."

"I guess I have to agree with you there." Laughing quietly as she accepted the silverware with a mock curtsy, she leaned in to get a spoonful with a quiet laugh. "Welcome home, Mr. Hawkins."

"It's good to be back, Mrs. Hawkins."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zarabeth took in a sharp breath as she managed to force her eyes open, the sudden darkness meeting her gaze causing the images from her dreams to abruptly fade away, leaving her lying there in a cold sweat. Swallowing hard, she took in a few even breaths to try to slow her racing heart, to calm her panicked mind.

"Just a dream. Just a dream." She whispered out to the darkness to convince herself that it was true, that she really was awake.

In theory, she should have been used to this by now, but Zara somehow knew that she'd always be affected by her nightmares. Even though she was no longer a slave in the real world, she was still a captive to the memories unwillingly played over and over again in her sleep. But in spite of this, she could easily accept the bad dreams and a few nights of poor sleep every week in exchange for being forever free. Besides, now she no longer slept alone. She had Jim. Or, at least, she had him about every other few weeks. Simply knowing that he was beside her as she slept was often comfort enough to get her through the longer nights.

Turning her head to see if she'd woken him, Zara was surprised to see the bed empty beside her.

"Jim?" Her voice was quiet as she slowly propped her arms beneath her, looking about the dark room without seeing him anywhere.

Curiosity driving her from the warmth of the bed, Zarabeth tried to ignore the cold flooring beneath her bare feet as she silently made her way from the room, looking this way and that down the short hallway until a silhouette on the backstairs balcony gave her some peace of mind.

Coming up to stand beside him, she smiled when Jim turned to face her just as she stepped out onto the small platform. "Hey you."

"H-Hey. What are you doing up?"

Letting him drape his arm around her, Zara stood close to him to keep warm, the night air cool against her bare arms. "Oh, I just woke up and didn't see you. Question is, what are you doing up?"

She gave him a sad sort of smile as she realized that Jim was wearing his father's jacket over his pajamas.

Jim looked distractedly out at the dark canyons beyond the house, Montressor's single moon casting odd shadows across them. "Couldn't sleep...so I thought I'd catch up on this month's riddles." He pulled his hand out of the pocket it'd been hiding in, a small stack of opened letters in his grip. They were the letters from Silver.

Zarabeth gave a small laugh as she looked up at the Etherium swirling high above them. "Riddles...A few of them were pretty simple to read. Maybe too simple. I think he's getting lazy."

"Doesn't really matter since he's leaving Tresslar. That's what he meant by the last one, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded with a small shudder as the breeze blew with a little more force, her nightgown pretty much useless against its cool breath. "I guess we'll find out where he's settled as soon as he sends the next letter. I just hope he gets there safely, wherever he's going."

"When was the last one?"

"It came three days ago, so he's been gone about four or five since it had to get to us from Tresslar."

Jim nodded in understanding without a word, the quiet comforting, not awkward between them until a thought wouldn't leave Zara's mind alone.

Looking up at him before lightly brushing the fabric of his jacket with her fingers, she spoke slowly, hesitant almost. "I wasn't sure you still had this. I've...never seen you wear it. Not since then."

It had been a little over a year since his father, Leland, had died saving Jim's life. Zarabeth knew he was still trying to heal from that day, even now. But of all the reasons Zara knew he was still struggling, the most difficult was keeping his father's dying wish. He wanted his death and even his meeting her and Jim to be kept a secret from Jim's mother, Sarah. Zara knew how much it still pained Jim that he'd lied to his mom, that he'd hidden away the hurt he was still sorting through for feeling responsible for his father's death, but Leland's promise was still being kept. Sarah didn't know.

After a long spell of silence, Jim released a heavy breath to urge himself to reply, his voice low but steady. "I've kept it on the ship...just in case mom ever stumbled across it." He was quiet again for a few moments, but he was obviously struggling with being able to say the other words on his mind, finally managing them with an even quieter tone. "It's weird...but I miss him."

She had no words to reply, no thoughts to comfort him. Over that year, she'd used everything she could think of, but Zara knew words could only do so much for a bleeding heart. Wrapping her other arm about him in a firm hug, she buried her face against the warmth of his chest, his heart steadily beating beneath her cheek as she whispered only loud enough to be heard above the wind. "I know."

"Here honey, you're gonna freeze to death."

Zarabeth looked up just as something heavy and warm was laid over her shoulders, the comforting smell of Jim surrounding her as he put his dad's jacket on her.

"There. Looks better on you anyway."

Mirroring his small smile, Zara stretched upward to leave a small kiss against his lips. "You say that about all your clothes."

"Well it's true. Can't be helped." Wrapping his arms about her waist as he chuckled quietly, Jim leaned down to nuzzle his face against the girl's neck, leaving a trail of kisses over to her right shoulder before pulling a little away to look down at the thick scar stretching from the middle of her collarbone to there.

The boy's smile flickered away for a moment, his fingers tenderly caressing the ridges and dips of the healed skin.

Zara squirmed a little beneath his touch, scrunching her nose up at him as she gave her short explanation. "Still itches sometimes."

Jim somehow managed his reply between kissing over the length of the scar, his voice low and frustrated. "If she wasn't already rotting away in prison, I'd slice-"

"I'd slice her chest open and see how she likes it." Zara finished his threat for him with a short laugh, getting the reaction she was craving as he looked up in surprise.

"Have I used that line before?"

"Only a handful of times, but yes." Giggling in satisfaction as he released an aggravated huff and a small laugh, Zarabeth nudged his sides playfully to get his attention again. "And I know you mean well, but Evanna and all those other scum bags got the justice they deserved. We're safe now."

"Well, as safe as you can be when your husband is a naval captain."

"Too true." Suppressing a yawn with the back of her hand, Zara blinked to remedy her watering eyes.

"Say no more." Jim gave the girl a mischievous smirk before suddenly pulling her into his arms, holding her bridal style as he made his way off of the balcony.

Taking in a sharp breath, Zarabeth hurriedly wrapped her arms about him as she laughed her surprise away. "Jim! What are you doing?"

Closing the door behind him with his foot, the boy carefully walked down the hallway back toward their bedroom at the end. "I'm making my wife come to bed."

Unable to keep from giggling quietly as he gently laid her down among the thick bedding, Zara removed the jacket from her shoulders, carefully laying it over the chair sitting right next to her side of the bed before snuggling down into the warm sheets and covers.

Soon the weight of another person joined her, followed by the warmth and familiar smell of her husband as he wrapped his arms about her from behind, his breathing even and deep as he laid his head against her shoulder.

This was what Zarabeth loved most of all. To simply lie there in the arms of the man who loved her, there was no greater feeling. She felt so safe and secure in his hold, able to sleep every night and live every day with the knowledge that Jim would always be there for her. If not in person, she could take comfort in knowing that he was just as anxious to come home as she was to have him back. She would always wait for him. She would always wait for the night those arms would hold her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Jim. Jim? Jim!" Realizing that she was getting nowhere, Zarabeth gave one of the boy's exposed legs a few soft kicks, satisfied that she finally had his attention when the deafening sounds of grinding metal and a drill finally stopped.

Crawling out from where he'd been working beneath his solar surfer, Jim squinted up at the girl before wiping his grease and oil stained hands on a rag pulled from his pocket. "Hey. Fancy meeting you here. Ooh, whatcha got there?"

Zara had to laugh a little as she knelt down beside him, lowering the tray of sandwiches and lemonade teasingly down in front of him, moving it just out of reach when she saw his hand move toward her. "Oh no, Mr. You're gonna come out here if you want any of this. I haven't seen you all day."

The girl was quick to get back to her feet, making her way out from the small shed and into the bright afternoon light, smiling to herself as she heard the general sounds of Jim's hurried pursuit behind her.

Catching up to her, the boy took the heavy tray out of Zarabeth's hands, walking with her over to the patch of shade beneath the only tree on their property. Setting their food down on the most even patch of ground he could find, Jim laid down in the cool grass, stretching his arms and legs out with a heavy sigh before rolling over to face Zara as she sat beside him.

Divvying out the sandwiches between them, the girl held up her glass of lemonade to Jim with a content smile. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Eagerly drinking down half of the cup in a few gulps, the boy smacked his lips in obvious satisfaction. "Good stuff."

"Don't worry. If you inhale all that, there's more inside."

The two sat in complete comfort and relaxation as they ate, talking about nothing in particular as they simply enjoyed the coolness of the shade.

Glancing around, Jim looked in slight confusion at the girl beside him as he spoke through the bite of sandwich he took. "Where's Morph at? Haven't seen him at all today."

"He left with B.E.N. this morning when he came to pick up some pastries I made for the inn. Your mom will be by later tonight to drop off the tins, so Morph'll come back with her."

Finishing the last of his sandwich, Jim dusted his hands off onto his dirt smeared pants, doing so more out of habit than the need for cleanliness considering he knew he was still just as filthy as before he ate. "Well, I guess it's back to the old surfer."

"Jim, you've been working on that thing for four days. Is it really that bad off?"

"I haven't flown it in months and I want it to be air-worthy before I leave so I can take it with me."

"I thought maybe we could go into town or see Amelia and Delbert this evening. The kids really miss you. Besides, you haven't left the house since you got back. You've got weeks till you leave again. Can't you maybe fiddle with it later?"

Jim tried to mask over his initial reaction, hoping he hid the nervousness in his eyes before Zara could notice as he failed to recover enough to answer smoothly. "About that. I don't have weeks-uh exactly. You see-um..."

It only took that next small moment of silence to completely change Zarabeth's expression, her eyes radiating a sort of subdued anger or frustration as she spoke in a dangerously quiet tone. "When?"

Jim flinched a little as he replied, his voice hesitant and equally quiet. "The ship leaves in three days."

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it as she sat there without a word for a second. Abruptly tearing her eyes away from Jim's, she picked up the tray from the grass, managing to get to her feet again before making her way back to the house at a very decided pace.

"Zara. Zara wait a minute. Zarabeth."

She knew he was following her, but she didn't acknowledge it, pushing her way back into the kitchen. She instantly began putting their discarded dishes away, ignoring the boy as he came in.

"Zara, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I-I've known since the day after I got back, it's just...I just didn't know how I should tell you. But I know how to make it up to you."

Cutting him off there, Zara spun around to face him, her words short and blunt to match the small bit of ice in her eyes. "Oh, do you? You know how to make it up to me that you'll be gone on our first anniversary and didn't think to tell me until today? I'm curious now, Hawkins. What did you have in mind?"

Jim swallowed hard. Calling him 'Hawkins' was never a good sign.

"Honey, you have every right to be angry, I know that. But just hear me out. I also didn't tell you because I was trying to get clearance for something. I didn't want to tell you if it turned out it couldn't actually happen. Ya know what I'm sayin'? No. No of course not. I haven't even told you what I tried to do. Uh...Ok maybe this'll help explain it better. Wait right here."

Leaning against the counter behind her, Zara folded her arms over her chest as she watched Jim dash upstairs. He was only gone for a minute before his voice called from the top of the stairs down to her. "Ok, now close your eyes. Are they closed? They'd better be by the time I get down there. Ok, good girl. Now just keep them shut a little longer. Hold out your hands? Careful. It's a little heavy. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

Opening her eyes, Zara looked down to see a box balanced in her hands, the kind of box a shop would package a dress in. Glancing up with a small smirk, she was trying hard not to fall for the adoring look in Jim's eyes. "So...You're trying to buy your way back into my good graces?"

The boy gave a nervous chuckle as he instinctively rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "N-No. Not exactly. Just open it."

Turning back around to place the box down on the counter, Zarabeth carefully undid the string keeping the lid on before removing it, folding back the thin paper surrounding the mystery contents within.

For the moments following, Zara simply stood there, looking down in confusion as she tried to understand what Jim was getting at. "It...Is this a uniform?"

Pulling the fabric free of the box it'd been confined in, the girl held the dark blue fabric of a sort of military style coat up to herself, the rest of the outfit still in the box beneath. Turning around to face Jim, Zarabeth still looked completely lost.

Jim flashed the girl a satisfied smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he gave her the explanation she was waiting for. "Well, if the Captain's wife is gonna be seen on his ship, she'd better look the part. Am I right?"

Eyes wide in surprise and unparalleled excitement, all that was left of the girl's frustration was now completely forgotten. Giving a small squeal in delight, Zarabeth threw her arms about the boy, ignoring how dirty she'd get in the process as she held him tight, leaving small kisses against his oil-stained face. "I can't believe it! I-I'm really going with you?"

"If that's alright with you, of course."

Hugging him all the tighter, Zara nodded as she looked lovingly at the boy without a word in reply, her cheeks beginning to hurt from how much she was smiling.

Jim chuckled as he tried to clean her forehead of a newly gotten black smear, obviously from him. "So...that's enough to get me off the hook?"

Laughing quietly with him, the girl leaned in to let her lips gently meet his, pulling away after a moment before finally answering with another small laugh. "Sufficiently so."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The smell of cool morning air, the chaotic orchestra of noises from the market square below, the occasional screeching call of a manta as it flew close to the open window, Zarabeth closed her eyes as she took in each familiar sensation. Releasing a deep breath, she found herself smiling at how it all felt. This is what she knew best.

"Well? How do you like her?"

Turning around at the sound of Jim's voice, Zara looked about the bright stateroom, the morning light streaming in through the windows behind her. "Oh Jim, she's a beautiful ship. I've forgotten how much I've missed this life."

"Stale galley food, blistered hands from swabbing, the smell of men who haven't bathed in a month?"

Chuckling quietly as the boy wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, she shook her head as he nuzzled his face against her shoulder, trying to get him to stay focused. "No, not that. And the smell isn't that noticeable. It's just been so long since I've flown. I count myself lucky to be a captain's wife."

"Do you now?" Pulling his head back up, Jim's face was only inches from Zarabeth's, his crystal gaze piercing through hers with that half-smile that was always sure to make her melt. "You look really good in that color."

Looking down at the uniform-like outfit he'd given her for the occasion, Zara laughed quietly. "Are-Are you sure this is ok?"

"It's more than ok. It looks perfect."

"Jim, you know that's not what I mean. I won't get in trouble for impersonating an officer or anything, will I?"

"Course not. And if anyone does have a problem with it, they can answer to their captain."

"Oh-ho. Very intimidating, sir." Her derisive words ended in a small laugh, what was left of her giggling trapped with an unexpected kiss.

Her gaze completely captured by his once he pulled away, Zarabeth saw how changed Jim's look was, nothing but adoration in those eyes looking down at her.

"Happy anniversary, Zara."

The girl closed her eyes as her lips were gently met with his, losing herself in that small moment of passion to let her heart and mind sing together with his.

"Captain, the crew is assembled for-oh forgive me, I'll just-"

Zara's cheeks were instantly tinted in a blush of embarrassment, turning her head to see the alien man standing in the door, his expression mirroring the look of surprise from both her and Jim.

Fortunately, Jim was the first to recover, his arms still locked around his wife as he smiled without reservation at his first officer. "Felix, no, please come in. I have someone I need you to meet. Zarabeth, this is my first officer, Felix Estrada. Felix, my wife, Zarabeth."

The man stepping back into the stateroom was a tall, broad shouldered man in lion form, the golden tan of his short-cut fur contrasted with the dark auburn hair tied neatly behind him. He gave a small bow, removing his three-cornered hat as he did so before straightening up to give the girl a courteous, but genuine smile, his voice low and resounding. "Mrs. Hawkins, it's a pleasure."

Still trapped in Jim's arms, Zara could only dip her head a little in a similar gesture of respect. "I can assure you, Mr. Estrada, the pleasure is all mine. I can finally thank you in person for all you've done for Jim this past year. I am truly thankful that you've been here for him."

"I'm flattered, Mrs. Hawkins, but there's no need to thank me. Your husband is a more than capable spacer and a fine captain. He only needed a little encouragement to believe it himself."

Finally able to pull away from Jim enough to simply stand beside him, Zara felt less awkward now with just his arm wrapped about her from behind, trying to make the situation as comfortable for Felix as possible. "Well, I still thank you all the same. And under the circumstances, please feel free to call me Zarabeth."

The man gave a small nod coupled with a rumbling chuckle. "Only if you call me Felix."

"That I can do."

Jim was practically beaming, more than happy to see everything working out so well, letting go of Zarabeth only long enough to retrieve his hat from where it'd been lying on his desk. "Perfect. Now then, Felix, I can only assume you came up here to tell me that we are ready to launch, that sound right?"

As if suddenly recalling all of that, the man's eyes widened slightly, leaving him fumbling for a moment before he carefully replaced his own hat.

"Oh-uh yes, sir. We only await your orders. But please, allow me to escort your wife back to the pier for you."

Without another thought, Felix offered his arm to Zara, leaving the girl looking in confusion between him and Jim beside her.

"No need, Felix. She's not leaving, remember?"

The man's look was now just as confused as Zarabeth's, pulling his arm back as he tried to understand. "Remember what, Captain?"

"That note I sent you? I guess it must have been almost a week ago."

"Note? What note?"

"The one I sent to your sister's house."

"My sist-You're mistaken. I didn't stay there this week."

Jim finally joined the two in their baffled expressions. "Really? Where were you?"

"I stayed here at the spaceport. My sister had other company this week."

The pieces slowly fell into place in Jim's mind, habitually speaking slower as he tried to find confirmation. "So you didn't get my note?"

"No, Captain. But I can only presume it was about your wife coming with us?"

Jim's smile returned in an instant, his look now completely satisfied. "Bingo. Well, now that that's all settled, let's get this ship in the air. We've got a schedule to keep, after all."

Even though Jim was, it was obvious that Felix wasn't convinced, his voice almost hesitant as he spoke up once more. "Forgive me for asking sir, but is this authorized?"

"It is, actually. Took some convincing, but I got the 'ok' four days ago."

Zara hated to feel like she was causing trouble, watching intently as the first officer silently struggled with himself for a few moments, but more than relieved when Felix's look finally softened with a small smile.

"Well in that case, welcome aboard, Mrs. Haw-Zarabeth."

In no time at all, the ship had launched and the R.L.S. Aberdeen was on its way. To Zara, it felt from moment to moment as if she'd never left this life. It all felt so natural, every sight and sound, every order relayed across the decks to the crew of spacers both below and above her. And above all, it gave her the greatest joy to see Jim do his job. She couldn't help but think of Amelia as he gave orders this way and that, as calm and collected as anything. He knew he belonged. Zarabeth could see it in his eyes. She thought back on the years he'd spent at the Interstellar Academy, her heart warm knowing that it'd all come to this. This was Jim's life, his calling. If she could be more proud, she didn't know how.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I knew I'd find you down here."

Zarabeth looked up from the dough she'd been kneading, a smile instantly on her lips at the sound of Jim's voice as he came down into the galley. Going back to her work, Zara gave a small hum in contentment as she felt the boy leave a quick kiss against her cheek.

"And how's my little pastry chef?"

"Pastry chef!" Morph eagerly mimicked Jim's words as he flew from out of the open pantry door, a pilfered cracker in his little pink hands as he floated idly about the room.

Zara could only giggle quietly, giving the shape-shifter a little tickle before offering him another piece of cracker. "Thoroughly pleased. This ship is better stocked than even the Legacy."

"Well I have to keep everyone happy and fed, don't I? Besides, a great cook needs good variety to truly do his job. Wouldn't you say so, Mr. Tucker?"

A small portly man poked his head out from the pantry, a large grin eclipsing his face as he answered in a sharp accent. "Aye, Captain. I've not known a better ship to work on, but I must say sir, you don't need me, not when ya already have this here young lady. She's far more at home in this kitchen than I am, and I've been with ya for nearly a year now."

"Nonsense, Bill. Your cooking is some of the best I've ever had, and certainly the rest of the crew feels the same. Besides, I don't think I could hire my own wife. She'd ask too much for her salary. You know how these culinary school kids are, all ego and no-hey!"

Jim was left coughing and sputtering as Zara's floured hands moved to powder his face, leaving the girl smirking in satisfaction as she gave a small laugh.

"What was that, Mr. Hawkins? I didn't quite catch that last part."

"No-Nothing, Mrs. Hawkins." The boy gave one final cough as he brushed the flour from his face, running a hand through his hair to remove any last bits.

"That's what I thought. Now you'd better get outta here and let us work before I get that pretty little uniform of yours all dusted in white. Oh, and take Morph with you? I'm starting to run out of crackers."

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint." Hugging her from behind, Jim left a kiss in her hair before pulling away, nodding at the cook as he made his way back across the room towards the stairs, little Morph perched happily on his shoulder. "Bill, you make sure she doesn't work too hard. She likes to get carried away."

"Don't you worry, Captain. I'll send her back up to ya as soon we're done here."

Returning her attention to the dough beneath her hands, Zara continued to work with it for a few more minutes until she was satisfied that it was ready. Forming the unbaked dough into a few dozen balls, she placed them close together in pans before turning to the cook, dusting her flour-covered hands on her apron. "Got anything in the oven? Or can I put these in now?"

"She's all yours, Mrs." The small man managed to reply before giving a low grunt of frustration, eventually successful in pulling a folded step-stool from out of the pantry. Setting it upright in front of the stove-top, he clambered up its short steps to get within reach of the large kettle of stew simmering on the red-hot surface. Freeing a ladle from the wrack just above his head, he dipped it just far enough into the savory smelling liquid to get a small spoonful.

Taking a dainty sip, Mr. Tucker closed his eyes with a satisfied hum, before offering what was left to Zarabeth who was working at the counter behind him. "Here, now see what you think of this."

Taking the ladle from him, Zara waited a moment to let it cool a little more before tasting it, her mouth instantly filled with a myriad of warm and savory spices. Smacking her lips, she flashed a smile up at the cook who was now at eye-level with her. "It was definitely a good call to add more garlic. It really brings out the oregano."

"Thank you. And I've told your husband this before, but I was pretty well shocked the first time he hired me to cook for him. I'd never been on a ship with so much in stock. Most folks would think it unnecessary to have all this just for a cook. Personally, I think he did it for you."

"For me?" She took a moment to stop cleaning her counter to look over her shoulder at Bill, giving a small laugh as she tried to understand the twinkle in his eyes.

"A lot of nights, he comes down here, the Captain does. No matter how much I insist otherwise, he helps me do any last dishes or cleanup, telling me stories of when he was a cabin boy aboard that ship where he met you."

Leaning against the cupboards behind her, Zarabeth's attention was now completely on the cook, a smile unconsciously coming over her lips as she watched him happily recall their conversations.

"He's a strange one, I will say that. I've been at this kind of work for well on twenty years, but I've never been treated as fairly or with as much respect as I have by Captain Hawkins. He's a fine man, Mrs. You should be proud. And I'm sure ya are, just as much as he is of you."

Going back to stirring his stew, he paused a moment before continuing to explain himself. "If he's not reminiscing or listening to me rattle on about this voyage or that, he's talking about how much he misses ya and wishes you could be here. He's tried to get you approved to come on board for months now, Mrs., but I guess your anniversary and all was enough to make those stuffy old goons in headquarters give in. All this time, I think the Captain's been keeping the ship extra ready for if you'd ever be able to join us. I'd sit with him on his watch every now and then and he'd tell me how much he knew you'd love the ship and crew, how this galley here is bigger than the other one you knew and whatnot. I remember that look, the one he always gets when he's about to start talking about you. My wife, may she be at peace, we missed so many years together. I was almost always working jobs like these, but I remember that one thought, wishing she could just be here with me all the time, then everything would be perfect. Appreciate this time, Mrs. Not many navy folks get to be with their families or loved ones like this."

Simply nodding with a gentle smile, Zara could feel her heart throbbing a little within her chest, so full of the kind words she'd just heard. "I will. Thank you, Mr. Tucker."

Climbing down from his stool, the short man came up beside Zara, taking the dishrag from her hand before shooing her away with a warm smile. "I can finish up here, now. I'll give the stew some more time before I add the beef, but it should be ready in time for the crew to have your bread with it. They'll enjoy that. Even I don't do much baking on these trips. Now you just go and find that husband of yours. No more hiding down here in the dark. Shoo."

Knowing she wouldn't be able to persuade him otherwise, Zarabeth simply thanked him again before making her way across the room, taking a moment to look back down into the galley just before stepping back up onto the deck.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Sorry, ma'am, but I was instructed to tell you that your husband and Mr. Estrada are in a meeting with the navigator at the moment. Captain said he'll come out to find you when they're through."

"Oh, I see. Well thank you, Mr. Bates." Giving the helmsman a genuine smile in appreciation, Zarabeth turned around to look about the deck beneath them, watching the spacers either working or standing in small clusters talking and laughing idly. Now that she couldn't go back into the stateroom, she found herself at a bit of a loss of what to do, seeing no other option but to simply be content to wait there on the upper deck.

"It must be difficult, ma'am, not always being able to be with the Captain even if you're finally both on the same ship."

Looking back at the alien man as he spoke, Zara shook her head with a small laugh. "This is Jim's job. I knew when he asked me to come that it would be like this. But I don't mind. Gives me a chance to talk with you and the rest of the crew."

The helmsman chuckled low in his throat at her reply, the middle aged dog-man pulling a hand up to scratch at one of his ears before looking back over at the girl. "Your husband is a highly respected man among us, ma'am. He has nothing but praise whenever one of us asks after you and how you've both adjusted, and now we know rightly so. It's not often that any of us are treated the way you see it fit to do so."

Leaning against the railing beside the helm, Zara let her eyes wander upward over the complex webs of rigging and sails high above her, a small smile continuing to eclipse her mouth with every word Mr. Bates spoke. "I spent four years flying on a boat like this. I know the lifestyle well enough to have complete appreciation and respect for the work that you and the crew put in every day. And Jim has always spoken so highly of all of you. I'm very grateful that he's found a crew that he trusts so much."

"If you don't mind my asking, what did you do those four years? I haven't heard of many women who worked on ships before, at least not for that long if they weren't officers."

Zara tried to keep from being nervous as she thought carefully about her answer, unsure at first of how to explain herself without involving the part of her being a slave and all. "I knew the Captain's family, so I worked for her after she graduated from the Academy. I was kind of her personal assistant." She looked around her at the beautiful star-dust clouds rolling past the ship as she continued. "I've missed flying. I don't think I know anything quite as freeing as being on a lone ship in the middle of the endless Etherium. Makes anything else seem pointless almost. All you want to do is keep flying and never stop."

"Aye, you've got that right, ma'am. Most of this crew, or any spacer for that matter, feels that same way. Helps us forget home and family for a while, at least long enough to keep our minds to our work and not on being homesick. Leads a man with nothing to feel as though he can hold the universe in his palm."

Zarabeth caught herself nodding in agreement with him, thinking about how flying was almost like an equalizer. It didn't matter if you were the captain or a cabin boy, it still gave one that same feeling of endlessness.

Zara had stayed up late a few nights before talking with Mr. Bates, a night when Felix and Jim had to go over their charts later than they'd anticipated. She'd thoroughly enjoyed talking with the helmsman, coming away from their conversation feeling refreshed and content.

"Do you have family, Mr. Bates?"

"Aye, ma'am. Well, not of my own per say, but I have a mother who somehow is still alive and kicking and a brother who I've not seen in well on five years. He's a spacer as well, you see, but our paths haven't crossed since he started working on those exploration voyages. He's an adventurous one my brother. He got that from my father, whereas I'm more of a play it safe man myself. Being cautious is what we're all about after all, on these trips anyway."

Watching as some of the crew changed their posts for the evening, Zarabeth gave a small laugh as she realized something. "Jim hasn't even told me where we're going. I haven't thought to ask until now. Is this another protection mission?"

Looking in obvious surprise between the girl and the wheel beneath his hands, Mr. Bates chuckled quietly as he adjusted the direction of the ship a little. "We've all been carefully instructed by the Captain not to let on as to where we're headed. Says he wants it to be a part of the surprise for you. But yes, we're working to keep a secure border around an area for a certain event. Easy enough of a job. Probably why the Captain felt comfortable enough to have you along. But I won't say any more about it. Would be bad if I let something slip and it was me who spoiled anything."  
Holding her hands up a little in mock surrender, Zara nodded to affirm her understanding with a small laugh. "Understood. Won't ask anything else then."

Turning around as the sound of a door opening redirected her attention, Zara pushed herself away from the railing she'd been leaning against as Jim came out onto the upper deck, meeting her halfway. Smiling up at him, she felt his arms wrap about her waist to pull her close, her cheeks reddening slightly as the boy leaned in to give her a small kiss. Jim knew that it embarrassed her to have him show even that much affection to her while the crew was around, but Zara knew he just loved watching her blush.

"All finished then, I see?"

Jim gave a low chuckle, releasing the girl a little to hold her beside him. "For now. Sorry I had to keep you waiting again." Hearing voices coming closer to them from back in the stateroom, Jim turned his head to watch Felix and the ship's navigator, Mr. Donnelly, join them on the upper deck. "We should be good for at least the next week with that course. Mr. Bates? Donnelly will explain your new orders in full, but here's the general idea of it. We can shave off at least another three days in getting there if we cut straight through the Warmanic Quadrant instead of going around to stop on Soros. We can easily wait until Thalis to resupply."

"Aye, Captain. Makes perfect sense to me."

"Good man. I'll leave you to it then. Oh, and Felix? I've been putting off starting that report, but I suppose we'd better get on that if we're gonna be there earlier than we planned."

Zarabeth couldn't help but smile a little as she listened to Jim rattle off this order and that, noting that certain brightness in his crystal eyes. It was a look he only got when he was completely in his element, doing something he really loved.

Remembering something, Zara playfully gave the boy's side a few firm pokes to get his attention. "Have either of you eaten yet?"

"Dinner? No. Haven't exactly had the chance yet."

"Good. Neither have I. I'll just quick run down to the galley to see what Tucker has left. Oh, that and I have something in the oven that should be ready right about now. You two get started on your report or whatever and I'll bring dinner up in a few. Sound good?"

Answering her with a simple kiss against her cheek, Jim beamed down at her in nothing but complete adoration, releasing his hold on his wife with a bit of ticklish prodding. "You should really come along more often."

"I know it." Giving his hand a small squeeze before squirming out of his grasp, she looked over her shoulder as she made her way down to the main deck, flashing Jim a quick smile before noticing how tired Felix looked standing beside him.

Coffee. She was going to bring coffee up for them too.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Oh, there you are." Looking up in relief at the shrouds, Zarabeth carefully began to climb up the complex web of ropes to get to Jim sitting a little ways above her.

The boy gave her a soft smile before making room for her, slipping the envelope he'd been holding back into his uniform jacket. Offering his hand down to her, he helped Zara get up the rest of the way. "You been looking for me?"

"Not long. Felix said you were somewhere on deck. Taking a break?"

Shifting his gaze between her and the stardust clouds rolling lazily past them, Jim scrunched his nose with a small chuckle. "Needed a breather. We've been at it all day trying to figure out stuff."

"Paperwork?"

"For once, no." Releasing a heavy breath, he leaned back slowly, stretching his arms over his head before relaxing again. "There's a big old storm cell collecting right in the middle of where we need to fly through a few days from here. For once, I'd rather go around. For once, Felix disagrees."

"Why's that?" Propping her head in her hand, she carefully watched his every expression, happy to note that it wasn't frustration in his eyes. He was still smiling.

"He's very time conscious. Since we changed our report and said we'd get to-" Catching himself before he could finish, he gave the girl a teasing smirk. "-to where we're going three days sooner, that's what he intends to keep doing. And we could, if we fly straight through, but I dunno. This is one time I'd like to avoid trouble. I want my ship and crew to arrive in one piece."

Pulling her closer as he finished, Zara closed her eyes, letting her head rest against his shoulder as she released a small sigh. "Is Captain Hawkins afraid of a little rain?"

"What?"

Looking up too meet his amused expression, Zarabeth gave a quiet laugh. "You've told me countless stories, Jim. Ones where you and the Aberdeen recklessly barrel through storms far worse than Amelia would ever dare wager with, and you've always been successful. So either you've gone chicken, or you've got another motive altogether."

The boy looked away with a smirk of a smile, chuckling low for a moment before returning his gaze to her. "Well, like you said, Amelia never flew through these kinds of things before. You're not used to them."

"Jim." Letting her eyes take on a knowing look with a teasing smile, she lifted one of her hands to rest against his cheek, forcing his gaze to stay right with hers. "I'm a big girl. I can handle some rain and turbulence. I refuse to be the reason you inconvenience your crew and whatever job you have to do. Don't go bothering Felix with excuses on my account. Ok?"

Nodding in resignation, Jim pulled her closer to leave a small kiss in her hair. "Ok, ok. If you think you'll be alright."

"I know I will."

"Then what else can I say?"

"Good answer." Leaning in, about to give him a small kiss, she stopped upon seeing a lone figure down below them on the deck. The sight made her unconsciously pause to smile in thought.

Confused as to what had stopped her, Jim tried to follow the girl's distracted gaze. "Change your mind about kissing me? Oh." Smiling with her upon catching sight of the culprit, he nodded down toward the young boy mopping the deck, easily guessing at what she was thinking. "Remind you of someone, does he?"

Looking between Jim and the young cabin boy, William Thrane, she nodded with a small sigh as she let her mind wander over the years. "Wasn't that long ago. I still remember what I thought seeing you for the first time."

"Handsome beyond belief? Strong and charming?"

Laughing quietly as she kept her look on William, the boy maybe no older than ten, Zarabeth shook her head with a teasing smile. "Actually, no. I noticed you watch me when I left Amelia's stateroom. I was kinda weirded out. Though I'd say it was because I'd never really had male attention before, even though I did allow myself to think you were pretty cute." Closing the distance between them to give Jim a quick kiss, Zarabeth pulled away a little so as to give him room to get down again. "No more talk then. You'd better go finish getting things squared away before Felix changes his mind."

"Aye aye, milady."

Watching Jim begin to descend from the shrouds, Zara suddenly spoke up again before he could reach the deck. "How is he, by the way? Felix I mean."

Looking up in a bit of confusion, Jim balanced comfortably against the web of ropes, obviously fine with letting her stop him. "I...I think he's fine. Why?"

Trying to rationalize for why she'd even brought it up, Zara leaned forward from where she sat, her eyes focused on the Etherium more than on Jim as she hurriedly replied. "I don't know. I-I just thought he looked pretty tired the last few days."

Managing a small smile, Jim slowly shook his head as he followed her eyes out over the atmosphere beyond the ship. "He always takes the larger tasks for himself. I know he stays up pretty late every night, but I think he's just sorting out charts and figuring out coordinates and schedules. Every morning he comes in with a more efficient way to go about something or another. I don't know what I'd do without him...but yeah. I always hope he's not overdoing it, but he wouldn't stop even if I asked. Just how he is."

Nodding as she thought more about it, Zara stopped him one last time just as Jim had finished climbing down. "Can you think of anything I could do to help?"

Flashing a smile up at her, Jim gave a small laugh as he leaned against the polished wooden railing beside the shrouds. "Not gonna lie. You make a good cup of coffee. And I did hear Felix say the other night that your scones are some of the best he's ever had."

Climbing back down to join him on deck, she waited a moment to catch her breath before managing a reply. "The raspberry ones?"

"Have you made any other scones this trip?"

Catching the teasing look in his eyes, Zara let her own face mirror his. "No."

"Then, yes. Those ones. Are-Are there any left?"

She had to laugh a little at the almost childlike sparkle in Jim's eyes, his hopefulness making her instinctively smile with him as she nodded resolutely. "There are. I'll just go and get some ready for you two. It is just you and Felix, right? Donnelley's not working with you tonight?"

"Nope. Just us."

"Perfect. I'll be back in a few, ok?"

Letting Jim steal a small kiss before making his way back up the stairs toward his stateroom, Zara thought she could almost detect a small skip in his step, the thought bringing a content smile to her lips.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zarabeth released a lazy sigh as she inspected herself in the small mirror hanging from the wardrobe door, brushing her hair back into manageable form so that it wouldn't be a complete mess by morning. Looking at Jim through the mirror's clear reflection, she watched him for a moment as he sat on their bed in the corner of the small room, the boy intently reading over the contents of the same envelope she'd seen him with the evening before. He seemed to be in deep concentration, so she thought it better to keep her curiosity to herself for now. Her mind back to being distracted as she fought to get the brush through a particularly stubborn knot of hair, Zara's thoughts drifted over how close Jim had said they were to their destination. A little flying, a couple days more for the Aberdeen's mission, and Jim had promised that they'd have some time to themselves.

She looked forward to that. Even though there wasn't really much of anything for Zarabeth to do with Jim working every day, she somehow always found herself busy from the minute she was up to the moment he was able to come to bed with her. It had been one of the most laid back trips she'd ever flown with, yet the most enjoyable considering it was her first adventure back in the Etherium, but now as a free woman and not as a slave.

Zara gripped the side of the wardrobe as the ship suddenly trembled beneath her feet, taking the time to regain her balance before letting go, a process she'd gone through many times since earlier that afternoon. Even though they'd been flying through the storm cell for the majority of that day, Zara still wasn't quite used to the feeling of the ship's sporadic quivering and jolting, making even the simplest task an effort from varied moment to moment.

Waiting out a new surge of turbulence, the girl quickly finished up what she was doing before crawling into bed beside Jim, glad to be off of her feet for the night.

Scooting in close to him as she closed her eyes with a stifled yawn, Zara let her head fall to the side to rest against Jim's shoulder before quietly voicing her interest in what he was doing. "Is that from work or home?"

Looking up as if suddenly awoken from sleep, the boy looked down at Zarabeth snuggled in beside him before surrendering the envelope and its contents over to her, running his free hand over his eyes distractedly as he always did when he was tired. "I forgot I had this until today. It came just before we had to leave."

"From Silver?" The girl's eyes skimmed over the many words written over the pages, trying to be quick to decipher the code the cyborg always used to disguise his writing. "He...He's moved to Inyang. The smugglers planet?" She looked up at Jim for confirmation. "That doesn't seem like the safest hiding place."

"Pirates, smugglers, refugees. To a man on the run, there's not much of a difference. I think he's safe enough. If nothing else, there's a lot of people on that planet. If you didn't know exactly who you were looking for, it'd be close to impossible to find him. A criminal living on a planet with other criminals isn't exactly the worst idea."

"That's true." Reading over it once more, Zara smiled a little at his well wishes for their anniversary, her concentration broken by Jim's voice as he spoke with as casual an air as he could manage. "It's funny, but we'll be pretty close to Inyang as soon as we get to our mission. Any guesses yet as to where we're gonna be?"

"If I had a map, I might be able to guess now."

"If you even knew how to use it."

Poking his side in mock irritation, Zarabeth gave a quiet laugh before moving to lay down so that her head was in his lap, looking up at him with a smirk of a smile. "I know how to use a map, thank you very much. I'm not completely helpless as a navigator."

"Well... I wouldn't exactly trust you behind the helm. Not on my ship anyway. Just got the paint redone a few weeks-" Jim's words were cut off by the unexpected force of a pillow landing square in his face, leaving the boy stunned for only a moment before having the mind to return the playful blow with the same pillow that had hit him. "Oh you wanna go? You wanna fight, Mrs. Hawkins? I'm ready for ya."

Watching as the boy's crystal gaze filled with a look of all too familiar mischief, Zara knew that there was no escaping him, but she still tried to squirm away none the less. "Ji-Jim wait-"

Unwilling to let her get away, the boy was quick to pin her beneath him, mercilessly poking at her ticklish sides with nothing but a satisfied smile and a few teasing words as he watched her writhe and struggle helplessly in his hold.

Zara was trying so desperately to stifle her squeals and laughter, embarrassed that they weren't the only people around, but still unable to deny how much she'd missed just being with Jim like this.

Just when she thought she'd die of the playful torture she was being put through, Jim's hands stopped their ticklish prodding, leaving Zarabeth trying to catch her breath as she smiled up at him, drunk with the happiness and contentment filling her in this small moment.

Even just the love and pure adoration looking down at her in Jim's gaze was enough to make her every defenses melt away, closing her eyes as she let his gentle but passionate kiss overtake her need for anything else.

Unwillingly letting him break away from her, their faces still only inches apart, Zara's soft smile mirrored his as they stayed in silence for a few perfect moments of peace.

Pulling one of her arms out from beneath his hand, she let it fidget with the ends of his hair at the back of his neck, a habit she'd gotten whenever she didn't know what else to do. Her gaze didn't leave his for even a second, watching as his gentle smile brightened in the sparkle of his eyes, a blush rising to her cheeks at the sudden feeling of insecurity brought on by his unwavering look.

Noting her change, Jim's lips curled more into his classic half-smile with a small laugh, aimed purely at his own thoughts voiced in a hushed tone that only caused Zara's blush to darken. "Do I tell you enough how much I love your laugh?"

"I-I don't know if you ever have." Unable to hide how flattered she was, she closed the distance between them for a moment, only giving him a small kiss before laying her head back down again, the small smile eclipsing her lips not about to go away. "But it's very sweet of y-"

Gasping in a mixture of fear and surprise as the ship seemed to drop out from them for a split second, Zarabeth found herself clinging for dear life to Jim, her legs tangled around his beginning to relax as soon as she realized what had happened.

Jim chuckled quietly, patting her head like a parent soothing a child as he watched her sit up to cuddle in closer to him. "You alright?"

"Y-Yes. Just startled me, that's all." Looking up at him with a nervous laugh, she waited for her racing heart to slow as she looked around the room distractedly. "We'll see if I sleep tonight. You're used to this, I guess."

"You learn to live with it." Leaving a small kiss in her hair as he ran his hand soothingly over her shoulders, Jim gently pulled the girl into his lap, his head resting against hers as he quietly laughed again. "We should be out of it by late tomorrow, so not much longer. Can you last that long?"

"May I remind you that I've been flying longer than you? I've lasted through four surprise attacks, an exploded star, and a pirate mutiny. I think I can take a few more hours of turbulence and rain." Nudging him teasingly, she crawled out of his lap to get her pillow back where it belonged before crawling under the covers, knowing she shouldn't keep Jim up for too much longer with how important the next few days were.

Following her with a chuckle, Jim laid down beside her before snuggling in close, humming quietly in contentment for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened with a thought as he propped himself up. "Wait, four? What were the other two?"

Looking in incredulous amusement up at him, she reached over to the edge of the bed to turn out the lamp before rolling over to face him again. "I've told you this. The first two were with Mimoths in Amelia's second tour, the third was after that when we were on Sanchel, and the last was in the third year when we were with the Proteuns in the outer rim."

"Oh, right, right. I remember now."

Laying back down, Jim was about to say something else when the ship violently shook again, Zara's hand tightly gripping his before letting up a little.

With a reassuring squeeze, the boy pulled her hand up before giving it a small kiss, his voice quiet and comforting against the backdrop of constantly creaking wood as he let his forehead rest against hers. "Don't worry. I've got you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Zarabeth took in a sharp breath as she forced her eyes open, the sound of someone pounding on the door abruptly pulling her from sleep. Unsure of what to think as she felt Jim sit up beside her, she reached out for his arm, her mind still partially in sleep trying to understand. "Jim? What-What's going on?"

He slipped from her grasp as he hurriedly got up, looking between Zara and the door as he quickly put a shirt on over his pajamas. "I-I don't know honey, just stay here. I'll see what's up."

He was gone before she could say anything to stop him, the door to their room shut behind him nearly as soon as he'd opened it.

From just beyond the door, Zara could make out the sounds of Jim and Felix talking frantically over one another, silence ensuing for only a moment before Jim let himself back into their room.

There was no time to ask him what was wrong, the boy going straight for the locked closet containing his few laser pistols and ammunition. Zara's fear and confusion only grew as she watched him hurriedly load one of the guns before he turned to look at her seriously. "Zarabeth you stay right here until I come back for you."

"Jim what's-"

"Just lock the door after I leave, you understand?"

Unable to do anything but nod to confirm that she understood, her breath trembled with her hands as unhindered adrenaline coursed through her. Swallowing hard to get her thoughts back in order as she watched him leave again, she got out of the bed on shaky legs to lock the door and turn on the lamp closest to her. She stood there in dumbfounded silence for a few moments before her ears began to pick up on sounds coming from the deck outside, the realization causing her to stiffen with her relentless racing heart.

Shooting, yelling, terrible sounds of whoops and pained screams rang louder than the constantly creaking wood of the storm ravaged ship.

Zarabeth's lip trembled as she relied completely on the door at her back to support her, a single thought running through her mind, twisting her stomach into nearly incurable knots.

"No, no, no." Zara tried to keep her mind under some semblance of control, hugging herself tightly to try to give her something to do as her eyes found their way back over to the open ammunitions closet. Taking deep even breaths, Zarabeth pushed herself back upright, wracking her brain as her hands wrapped around the cold twisted metal of one of the pistols. Jim had taught her how to use them, how to load and fire, though she wasn't a very good shot considering how little practice she ever got.

Even though her mind was overwhelmed with the terrible sounds leaving her imagination tearing into itself, she just wanted to know if Jim was still alright. Part of her wanted nothing more than to simply rush out into the fray to see for herself, but she also knew that she would make him nothing but vulnerable.

A sound from behind the closed door, like that of someone forcing their way into Jim's stateroom, pulled Zara's attention back over her shoulder.

With each heavy footfall drawing closer, her efforts to keep her breathing even were shattered as her trembling hands fought to load the clip into the laser pistol, pure adrenaline the only thing to keep her moving. Her eyes frantically searched about the room for anywhere she could possibly hide, the size of the room limiting the amount of furniture they had been able to get inside. Locking the gun closet behind her, she threw the key into one of the drawers on the outside of the wardrobe before pulling its door open as quietly as she could. There wasn't much room for her to stand inside the space, but she had to try.

Shoving her and Jim's clothes as far back in as it would all go, Zarabeth managed to get into the wardrobe, pulling the door closed from the inside.  
Left in the stifling quiet of this new darkness, her mind was completely concentrated on two things. She had to try to keep her breathing even, quiet, and calm. She had to try to keep her hands from trembling, afraid of what might happen if she had to use the gun clutched between her hands.

It wasn't but mere moments after she'd locked herself in that the sound of violent pounding against the bedroom door made Zara stiffen in paralyzing fear. Low and gruff voices spoke over each other, only a few of their comments distinguishable from her confined hiding place.

"Don't just break it down! We still need this place in one piece, ya know."

"Hey. I think there's someone in there. See that? There's a light on."

"That don't mean nothin' ya blithering idiot."

"But it's locked from the inside."

"We don't know that. Could be from the outside too."

"He just hopes there's a girl, I'll bet ya."

"Ain't no girls on this ship. The crew's register shows so."

"Hey! Look what I found! One of these keys is got to go here, right?"

"Not bad Smithy. Open 'er up!"

Zarabeth stood in dumbfounded stillness, ears waiting for the one sound they desperately did not want to hear.

'Click'.

For a moment, Zara forgot how to breathe, the foreboding creak of the door's lock giving way beneath the influence of a key leaving the girl with a sensation more numbed than anything.

Zarabeth flinched with each approaching footstep, the small unseen party of men apparently just milling about the room, her presence unknown to them. Closing her eyes tight, she found herself instinctively holding her breath, too afraid of being heard if she made even the smallest sound.

"Well, well, well. Look here boys."

Zara's eyes opened at the tone of the mystery man, her ears straining to hear every word as she stood rigid with fear in the false safety of the wardrobe.

"No mistake, gentlemen. This here's a lady's garment. One of those fancy corset thingies."

Zara had to cover her mouth to muffle her small gasp, her lips trembling beneath her touch as she tried to ready her other hand to cock the laser pistol at a moment's notice.

"So?"

"So? So where there's lady's clothes, there's bound to be a lady close by."

"In the Captain's cabin?"

"Are you daft? Yes in here! The door must have been locked from the inside. We've not seen any girl out on deck, so she's got to be in here somewhere."

"Oh. Smart you are."

"Here, little wench. Where are ya?"

"Come out, come out wherever you are."

Zarabeth's heart skipped a beat at every sudden sound rising above their grotesque snickering, the covers being thrown from the bed, the lid to the large chest beside the door abruptly creaking open, her every thought of how they were certain to find her now.

Lifting the gun in her hands, Zara's thumb moved to pull back the hammer with a sharp 'click', already aiming the barrel right at the closed door.

All at once the wardrobe was flooded with light as the door was flung open, the hideous face of a wolf-man snarling at her with a smug grin as he chuckled deep in his chest. "Jackpot! Well look at you. Ain't you sweet? Captain's pretty little pet."

Unable to find anything to say at first, her trembling breath keeping her words from being distinguishable, seeing him move to try to grab her brought Zara's mind back into full clarity. Quick to make the gun in her hands a wall between her and the man, she grit her teeth to try to help strengthen her resolve as she threatened loud and low. "Touch me and I shoot."

Straightening up a little, the fur covering the man's face quivered as he gave a few short laughs, pulling a clawed hand over his eyes in obvious amusement.

With him not completely filling the doorway anymore, Zarabeth got a look at the other two men with him, both human in form, though one was stocky and the other more lithe.

Whatever distraction the girl found with taking in the unkempt appearances of the the group was quickly forgotten as the wolf-man leaned his head in closer to her, still keeping his distance, but it was enough to startle her, his voice low and gravelly as if he was constantly growling at her.

"Feisty little wench, huh? We like feisty, don't we boys? Now, why don't you just put that gun down and we'll talk like civilized-"

All Zara could see was his matted hand reaching menacingly towards her, her body instantly taking over for her mind as the resounding blast of the pistol filled her ears, a pulse of purple laser leaving her hands as it hit the man square in the shoulder.

The echoing shot was soon drowned out by bloodcurdling howls and snarls as the injured wolf-man spewed out a string of unending curses, his comrades simply staring with wide eyes and blank expressions.

Her whole body trembling beneath her, Zarabeth nearly collapsed then and there, the wall of wood at her back the only thing to keep her upright as she clung helplessly to the laser pistol still clutched between her hands.

Aside from the man on the floor, everyone was still and silent, obviously unsure of what to do until the wolf-man was able to sit upright from the floor, back propped against the bed as he snarled ferociously at the two men standing on either side of the room.

"Well don't just stand there, you idiots! Grab her!"

Looking between the two men, Zara's eyes caught sight of the open door just behind the smaller one. Without even a look to give warning, Zarabeth took off toward the door with as much speed as her trembling legs could manage, easily passing the man standing in her way, her reaction taking him by obvious surprise.

She'd made it into Jim's stateroom by the time sounds of pursuit had begun to come from the room behind her. Zara had almost made it to the door out to the main deck when she suddenly remembered the gun still in her hands, hurriedly trying to reload it as she took a fearful glance back toward the bedroom, the three men stumbling over each other trying to be the first to get into the stateroom. Finally managing to reload the gun, she pulled back the hammer with one firm motion, ready to fire it again.

Zarabeth didn't have time to make a sound as she felt something heavy knock into her back, the force instantly sending her to the floor. She tried to roll over to get up, but she'd barely managed to look up before the victorious smirk of the bigger man filled her vision, his meaty hands grabbing wildly for the gun in her hold.

Doing everything she could to avoid him, the strength of his grip on her arms made it close to impossible for her to move at all.

'Crack'.

Zarabeth flinched as the gun in her hands suddenly went off, the laser blasting into the ceiling above them as they continued to struggle, showering the two in a plume of smoldering wood dust.

Coughing and sputtering the dust away, Zara could feel her body growing tired of struggling, the knowledge spurring her on to fight all the harder, hoping desperately for even just the smallest window to act. No longer just struggling with her arms, the girl began to flail her legs, kicking them up and back toward her assailant.

Managing to knee him hard in his lower back, Zarabeth finally got the reaction she'd been waiting for as the man gave a small cry, his grip letting up on her as she fought to cock the gun again.

In an instant, pain was the only thing she could feel as her vision flickered white, her head violently whipped to the side with the unexpected force of the back of a hand. The gun she'd so desperately clung to now fell dead to the floor as she instinctively raised a hand as if to block another hit, her other cradling her throbbing cheek as she tried to cower away from him.

"Ya filthy wench! I'll teach ya to kick me!"

"Mr. Mason?"

The sound of that voice, familiar, low, and resounding, it caused Zara to look up, an odd mixture of confusion and relief filling her upon seeing who had opened the door to the stateroom.

"What do you think you're doing? Unhand her at once."

"B-But she-"

"I don't want to hear it! No one touches her! That's an order!"

"You're not my captain!"

"Until we reach Rhitan, yes I am."

With every word, Zara could feel her heart begin to break, her mind completely overwhelmed with disbelief as she managed to sit up, only a single word falling from her trembling lips.

"Felix?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Zarabeth, put the gun down."

"I-I don't understand."

"Zarabeth, please."

"Felix, wha-what are you...Where's Jim?"

"Give me the gun, and I'll explain everything. Please."

"No! You tell me right now! Where is Jim? What's going on? Why are you...those men...they..."

Zara could feel the fragile control she had on her emotions slipping as reality began to wash over her one heavy wave at a time, her legs trembling violently beneath her as she clung desperately to the laser pistol in her hands, fighting to keep it aimed where she wanted it to stay.

It was just her and Felix left in the stateroom, the two men having quickly left them after the first mate's appearance, hauling their injured comrade away with them.

"Zarabeth, listen to me." Hesitantly taking small steps closer to her, Felix continued to hope that the terrified and confused girl in front of him wouldn't pull the trigger balanced beneath her finger, his look gradually hardening with determination the more distance he closed between them. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please just hear me out."

"Where is Jim?" Tears of frustration forming in the corners of her eyes, Zara no longer had the strength to keep her hands raised, her weight mostly supported by the desk behind her. She couldn't think. She didn't understand. Feelings fought for dominance in her mind, fighting to be dealt with first before another, but she couldn't. There were too many questions still unanswered.

Taking in a quivering breath, her repeated plea came out barely louder than a whisper, her eyes never leaving Felix's gaze as she searched desperately for any explanation.

"Where is Jim?"

Seeing his opportunity, the first mate quickly took hold of the laser pistol, freeing it from the girl's hand with hardly any fight before unloading and putting it aside. Now certain that she couldn't hurt him or herself, Felix gently put his hands on either of her shoulders, ignoring how she flinched beneath his touch. "Zarabeth, listen. Jim is safe. They're not allowed to hurt him, or the rest of the crew for that matter, not at least after they've been properly detained."

"What-What do mean detained-"

"I...I didn't want them to see you. I thought...I thought if I kept them from knowing that you were here that-"

"Felix is this...is this a mutiny?"

He couldn't answer her, not this time, his amber gaze dropping away from hers as his grip seemed to tighten just a little more on her arms.

Zara's breath hitched in her throat when he made no move to reply, his silence more than enough confirmation for her. "Why?"

No answer.

"Felix how could you? After all you and Jim, you and this crew have been through? How can you just betray them? What can you possibly hope to gain from this to make it worth-"

"You weren't supposed to be here!"

Stunned into silence at his sudden outburst, his resounding words filled the room before fading back into silence, his temper back in his control as his eyes managed to finally meet hers again.

"You were not supposed to be here."

Zarabeth's thoughts flit back to the day she came onboard, back to how uneasy Felix had seemed upon hearing that she was staying, back to how on edge he'd been this entire trip.

Her momentary anger replaced by overwhelming hurt, the tears she'd been holding back slowly fell over her cheeks, hardly finding the voice to speak.

"Felix, why?"

Looking down away from her, his jaw shook as he grit his teeth in frustration, baring his fangs at an invisible culprit before finally finding the words to answer her.

"You won't understand. This-This ship...it's all I have, all I've ever had. I've been first officer of her since I left the Academy. That was six years ago. Six years, Zarabeth. I thought...I thought I was to be captain of the Aberdeen, I was near certain of it. But no. No, after all my years of hard work, the ship gets passed down to some greenhorn, some nobody, and all because he supposedly found Treasure Planet."

Zara could do nothing but watch him in fearful silence as his words changed between being frightfully quiet to having more emotion than she'd yet seen in him. She didn't know what to do except stand there, biting down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling as some of the pieces began to fit together in her mind.

"Felix, why...why didn't you ever say something?"

His anger must have been more than he could handle, his gaze suddenly avoiding hers the only answer he dared to give.

"This isn't the way. You and I both know that, but it doesn't have to stay like this. We-We can still do something to-"

"No, no you don't know! Stop saying that!"

His outburst rang in her ears, leaving the girl shaking beneath his hands as they tightened a little on her arms. Half expecting some physical outpouring of his anger, she tried to ready herself, but was surprised by how soft his next words were. "Zarabeth, there's no going back. I'm finally going to get what I deserve, what I've earned in sweat and blood these past six years. I can't let you or anyone else stop me. So please..." Letting his grip on her loosen a little, he managed to meet those fearful eyes that still hadn't left his. "Please don't fight this."

Trying to think of anything to say to him, it was difficult for Zarabeth to focus, her heavy and trembling breathing mirrored by the rest of her body, her small efforts to keep herself in some semblance of control overruled by her panicked mind.

Whatever she'd been about to say, the words were as quickly forgotten as they'd been thought up, the heavy door leading into the stateroom suddenly thrown open to let in the gusts of stormy air bombarding the decks outside.

"There she is! Estrada! You two-timing gutter snipe! Mind explaining to me why in the blue blazes you were hiding this sniveling little girl?! She nearly killed one of my better men!"

Felix was instantly turned to face the newcomer, placing himself protectively between him and Zarabeth, one of his hands still securely holding fast to her arm. "Calm yourself, Ewen. I wasn't hiding anything. I honestly didn't know she would be here."

The man was obviously not convinced, his scarred and misshapen face twisting into an irritate grimace as he took a threatening step forward, his leather boots falling with heavy tread against the wood flooring. "But you still intended to keep her away from us, is that it?! Want to keep the wench for yourself, do ya?! Well we'll just see about tha-"

The man's advances were suddenly forgotten once he was staring down the barrel of a laser pistol, Felix's hand as steady as anything, finger at the ready to fire if necessary.

"No one touches her."

"You-You ungrateful sow's vermin! Do you forget that I'm getting you this ship?! You have no right-"

"I have every right. Lay a single finger on her and the deal is off. Nothing more. She and the others will be properly dealt with when it is over, but not before. Do I make myself clear?"

The man called Ewen stood there in fuming silence for a few short moments, his piercing gaze moving between Felix and Zarabeth before finally managing to turn away with a low grunt of submission. "Crystal."

"Good." Lowering his gun with a relaxed sort of gesture, the first officer moved so that he was more standing beside Zara than in front of her, almost acting as though she didn't exist at the moment. "Now, Ewen, I hope you came up here to do more than just rant and rave at me. Are the prisoners secured yet?"

His back turned to them both, the man's pride was obviously still recovering. "Most are secured and counted for, but some are still giving us trouble, their captain especially. But it won't be much longer."

Zarabeth's chest tightened painfully at the mention of Jim, the girl fighting to bury her instincts to pull away from Felix's hold then and there.

She could only watch as the man beside her released a heavy breath with a decided nod, his eyes glancing at her sending shivers down her neck. Those eyes, so full of warmth and light but days before were now empty and cold, like so many shards of broken ice.

"Very well then. I'll deal with him myself. He won't be trouble for much longer."

"Yes, sir."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Zarabeth, are you listening?"

Startled out of her distracted thoughts, the girl looked up at Felix in front of her, swallowing hard in an attempt to try to make her breathing somewhat even again.

Pulling his hand over his muzzle in aggravation, the first officer turned to look back over his shoulder toward the open stateroom door, the violent bursts of wind blowing through its frame making it difficult to hear sometimes. "We go out on deck. You get Jim to cooperate. You go down to the brig with everyone else. That's the compromise. I can't protect you beyond that, so don't be stupid. Alright? Zarabeth look at me. Alright? Good. And don't worry. You're as safe as you can be with me. I promise."

Releasing a heavy breath as she dropped her gaze, Zara couldn't help the hushed words mumbled to herself. "Small comfort."

Zarabeth had to squint against the heavy gusts flying towards her as she was led out of the room onto the upper deck, her trembling breath caught in her throat once her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the early morning, the sight below making her stomach turn and twist on itself.

The deck was littered with clusters of rough looking men, most of them dealing with some of the crew she knew to be more hot-headed than the rest. The sounds of yelling and sometimes pained cries set her teeth on edge, her eyes frantically searching over the faces for Jim.

One voice made itself heard above the others, its higher pitch sending chills of dread through her already shaking body, Zara's focus instantly drawn to the struggle causing such sounds. She had to do something.

In a single motion, Zarabeth yanked her arm free from Felix's hold, ignoring his angry protests behind her as her trembling legs carried her down the steps and across the deck at a frantically determined pace, her voice somehow ringing above the din in order to be heard. "Let him go! Leave him alone!"

Managing to fight and shove her way into one circle of brigands, Zara didn't stop kicking, yelling, and clawing her way through until she was kneeling on the rain-soaked wood of the deck, the trembling cabin boy surrounded in her protective embrace.

Like a wild animal defending her young, Zara's look was cold and threatening as she searched the faces of the men surrounding them, each one too shocked at her presence to react right away.

The girl let her head gently rest against the boy's, her words soft and gentle as she tried to calm his quiet sobs. "I've got you, William. They can't hurt you now. Everything's gonna be okay."

"For him, yes. You, I'm not so sure."

There wasn't time to turn to see who was speaking behind her, the hand taking hold of a fistful of Zarabeth's hair making her instinctively let go of the boy with a sharp breath as she was roughly pulled back away from him.

Forced to move as she was urged, she found herself at the mercy of the man who had confronted Felix before, Ewen, his deformed face smirking down at her in cruel satisfaction as he pulled Zara to her knees. His hand still firmly holding to her hair, the man abruptly yanked back on it to tilt her head higher, taking obvious enjoyment as the girl winced in pain, her hands clinging desperately to his to try to relieve some of the pressure.

The man's bulbous lips parted to reveal the rancid colored teeth behind them, his breath washing over Zarabeth's face just as foul as one would imagine. "Well now. The wench likes to play hero, does she? You think you're special, sweetheart? Think you're safe hiding behind that spineless officer's petticoats?"

No one made a move to stop him, the man's words only met with a low chorus of grotesque snickers and mumbled comments.

Zara's chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing, her eyes unable to leave his even as she noticed his hand reaching for the pistol on his hip.

The man called Ewen chuckled low in his chest as he slowly drew the gun out, moving a piece of stray hair behind Zarabeth's ear with its barrel before smirking in satisfaction.

Zara instinctively held her breath as she felt the cold metal fall over her cheek and down to her neck, its threatening presence making her mind go blank as she fought to keep from flinching.

His mouth curved into an even deeper smirk, the look in his eyes too calm and matter-of-fact to give the girl in front of him any comfort, his next words low enough so only she'd hear. "You're never safe, my dear. Remember that."

"You get your filthy hands off my wife!"

All heads instantly turned to look at Jim as he called out above the noise, the boy struggling violently against the men trying to restrain him.

Zara's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him, her instinctive attempts to get to him quickly remedied as Ewen's hand tightened in her hair, yanking her up towards him so that she was now on her feet facing Jim with her back towards the man. Struggling was pointless, the ever-present threat of the pistol cradled against her throat enough to convince her to stay somewhat still.

"Well, Captain, glad you could finally join us. This little whelp yours? Huh. And here I had you pegged as more of a blonde-lover."

Ignoring the man's remarks, Jim continued to struggle and pull against the hands which held him back, his eyes pleading with just as much desperation as anger, speaking to one person and one person only. "Zara, honey, are you ok? Did they hurt you?"

Shaking her head as much as the gun would allow, Zarabeth desperately hoped her voice wouldn't tremble like the rest of her was. She knew she had to get him to calm down, the visible bruises and fresh cuts she could see making her heart clench at the prospect of him further ignoring his own safety for hers. "Jim, it's ok, I'm ok. They didn't-"

"Let her go, Ewen. I said, no one touches her."

Zara could only turn her head so much to try to see Felix as he finally caught up to the group, his look still calm, but by no means pleased with the present situation.

Wincing with a sharp breath as the man pulled back harder on her hair, making the gun's presence painfully obvious not just to her but to Jim as well, the foreboding 'click' of the pistol's hammer made Zara's heart skip a beat in panicked fear, Ewen's voice resounding in her ears.

"Let me make myself clear, gentlemen. I would not lose a wink of sleep if I pulled this trigger right now. You, Estrada. I don't know if you've realized it yet, but I don't much like being told what to do, especially not by some nobody navy dog. Let me do what I need to until after we're done with Rhitan, and the ship is yours. Not before. Cross me again, and you can just count yourself as an extra body for us to deal with. Savvy?"

Felix didn't make any move to answer, his only reply a small nod as he took a respectful step back, not trusting himself to look at either Jim or Zarabeth.

"Now, as for you, Captain Hawkins."

Turning her head once more to watch Jim in growing fear and dread, Zara could only plead with him through her eyes, not daring to speak up, knowing she'd only make things worse if she did.

"You've been rather troublesome so far. She's pretty, I'll give you that, but what's she worth to you? I mean, you're all gonna die when this is all said and done anyway, but is she worth keeping alive until then? You tell me, Hawkins. But you keep acting up like this and I'm gonna choose for you."

Gritting his teeth as he wrestled with himself, Jim couldn't take his gaze from Zara's, her eyes pleading with him causing his mind to falter.

"Tick tock, Hawkins. You gonna cooperate?"

No longer fighting against the men holding him back, the boy simply hung his head with a small nod, biting down hard on his lip as he tried to block out the remarks and snickering of the brigands around them, desperately hoping he was doing the right thing.

"Good choice. Barton! Make sure you finish locking away the rest of this scum, but keep the Captain and the lady together, as a courtesy you understand. Now let's move! We've got a lot of work to do!"

As if he'd completely forgotten about her, Ewen's hold disappeared from Zarabeth as he made his way back across the deck to bark out orders to his men, leaving the girl to crumple to her hands and knees against the deck, her whole body weak and trembling.

All of her concentration was on trying to get her breathing to become even again, her efforts dashed aside as she flinched away from the gentle hand laid against her shoulder. Looking up fearfully, Zara didn't know how to feel when she saw who it was, Felix's reassuring look doing her no good. She resisted his attempts to help her back to her feet, but, in the end, he did get her upright.

His hand, once again, urging her where to go, Zarabeth refused to look at him, too full of anger and hurt to acknowledge that he had at least tried to speak up for her. There was no point in saying such meaningless words of gratitude, not to him. She didn't owe him anything.

This man holding fast to her arm, practically dragging her down into the darkness of the brig, was her enemy. He'd betrayed them, sold them out, and now, he was going to be the reason for their deaths, hers, Jim's, all of them.

"Coward..."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The silence was stifling.

No one said a word. No one made a sound.

Zarabeth could only listen to the heavy breathing of the crew around her all huddled together in the darkness of the brig, the ship's few cells filled with the men who had been safely piloting the Aberdeen not but a few hours before.

Trying to forget about their predicament for even just a little while, Zara closed her eyes as she let her head fall to the side, resting comfortably against Jim's shoulder as he held her close. He hadn't said a word since they were locked away with the others, simply sitting down in the corner with her, holding her as if he'd lose her if his grip let up even a little.

Taking a moment to look down at her lap, she wanted to see if William was still asleep. His small body huddled against her, she smiled softly to herself as she let her hand run comfortingly over his back, watching him breathe peacefully in fitful sleep. It was better this way, the less he had to be awake. She knew that. He could feel safe for only as long as he could dream.

After arguing with herself for some time, Zara dared to turn her head to look up at Jim, fearing what she'd see, but more afraid to just let him keep drowning in the emotions she could feel simply through his rigid touch.

His eyes were all she needed to see. She knew that look. She hated that look.

That deadness in his eyes hadn't been there since that first trip on the Legacy where they met, the trip when Silver betrayed them.

He didn't have to say anything, Zara already knew why he was so tense, but she knew he needed to let it out. She feared he'd completely lose his control before long if he held it in for much longer.

Her words were barely whispers, but they cut through the silence like a perfectly sharpened knife. "Jim? Please talk to me."

There was no life in his expression, no reply even in his eyes as he continued to stare coldly at the bars in front of them. It was almost like he hadn't heard her, but Zarabeth somehow knew he had.

She had to say something if he wouldn't. She couldn't be silent any longer.

"Jim...you couldn't have known."

For a while, she didn't know if he'd answer, but just as she was about to give up, his hoarse voice broke the silence between them.

"I trusted him."

Each word brought more pain to his eyes than she'd ever seen, his words just as quiet as hers, yet they seemed to ring through the brig with grinding clarity.

"I practically gave the ship over to him."

Dropping her gaze to concentrate on her hands, Zarabeth swallowed hard, unsure of what she could even possibly say to help him. Maybe there was no helping him. "He-He's your first officer. Of course you trusted him."

Pinching the bridge of his nose as he firmly shut his eyes, the breath Jim released was heavy, trembling almost as his grip let up on her arm. The silence that had separated them moments ago returned, followed only by the scraping of Jim's boots against the wood flooring as he forced himself to his feet.

Zara watched as he made his way across the cell toward to walk of thick bars holding them captive, his shaking hands gripping the cold metal to keep steady as the ship continued to rock sporadically around them. With his back turned to her, she couldn't tell whether or not he was going to say anything, but the small breath in aggravation he took in a moment later confirmed it, his words despairingly low.

"They're not even pirates. They're smugglers."

"Smugglers?"

"Ewen. It's gotta be Ewen McCoy. Navy's been after him for years, him and his men. He's been on Inyang all this time." Turning so that his back was propped against the bars, Jim folded his arms in aggravation over his chest as he pulled a hand over his tired eyes. "I don't know what they think they're gonna do with the ship. Whatever it is...they won't be needing us. Not for much longer."

Heaving a heavy sigh to release some of the tension building up in her mind, Zarabeth carefully moved William's head off of her lap, making sure he was still sleeping before getting up. Pulling her arms tightly around herself, Zara's nightshirt and thin pajama pants were doing nothing to help shield her from the cold of the brig, her bare feet making their way to stand in front of him. Trying to draw his eyes back to her, Zara, let her hand gently rest against the side of his face, her fingers lingering lightly over the bruises forming on his brow as she tried her best to reassure him. "Felix may have put us here, but he's protecting us at least until after these men are done with their business on Rhitan. That gives us some time. It's not much, but it is something."

Jim's eyes only met hers for a moment before he pulled his face out of Zarabeth's hand, the boy gritting his teeth as he tried to turn away from her. "Zara, there is no time. They're smugglers. They do what they please. Felix is blind if he doesn't see that. Pirates at least have some sense of pride. Even they have lines they won't cross, no matter what. Smugglers have no such boundaries."

Jim released another heavy breath as he leaned his forehead against his clenched fist, his words barely managed to be said, let alone heard. "We're as good as dead right now."

She couldn't believe it. Those words coming from his mouth were the words of a man who'd already given up.

Zarabeth's lip trembled with her labored breathing as she tried to regain her calmness, searching desperately in his eyes for any hint or sign of feelings he wasn't showing her. "Jim. What's gotten into you?"

He couldn't meet her unwavering gaze, Jim's whole body rigid with the emotions waging war in his mind as he fought between instinct and reality. "Zara no one's coming for us. No one knows anything is wrong. They'll do what they will and then they'll kill us. And I-"

The composure he'd managed to keep all this time suddenly failed, his eyes tightly shut to try to stave off the tears forming in them as his voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I can't protect you."

The warmth of Jim's arms as he suddenly pulled her into his tight embrace, Zara couldn't bear the emotions in his voice as he buried his face in her hair, knowing he was despairing because of her.

He didn't want to risk losing her, even if it meant living a little longer only to be killed later. Jim wasn't going to fight them.

"Zarabeth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this. It should have been my fight...only mine."

Pulling her head up from where she'd been cradling it against his chest, Zara's tearful eyes finally met Jim's, the girl swallowing hard to force the words in her mind to fall from her lips. "I know you feel helpless, and I'm sorry for that. Things would be very different if I wasn't here." Despite everything, she managed a soft smile as she sniffed back the tears trying to escape her eyes staring ever constantly into his. "But this is still where I'd want to be. With you."

Lifting her hand to let her thumb clear away the small trails of tears over Jim's cheek, Zara leaned in to let her forehead gently rest against his, letting herself become lost to his crystal gaze. "Jim, I vowed to you to be faithful until death parted us. If that time is now, there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here. If this is how it ends, I'm just glad I'm with you."

"Zara." Covering her hand with his, Jim bit down hard on his lip, unable to tear his eyes from hers.

Nothing else needed to be said. In that moment of silence filling the small space between them, all the love and fearful tension they were both struggling with was understood without making a sound as Jim's lips gently met hers.  
The kiss didn't last long, but Zarabeth knew that even just these small moments were keeping her away from the overwhelming anxiety trying to overthrow her mind.

She still held tight to him, as he did to her, the two content to simply stand there against the barred wall, afraid that every moment would be the last they got to hold each other.

Cradling his forehead against hers, Jim finally opened his eyes, trying to keep his voice quiet and calm as he stared down at his wife, a frustrating mixture of insatiable adoration and overwhelming fear keeping his arms tight about her. It occurred to him, terrible but true, that they might kill him, but not Zarabeth, the thought sickening him, but yet leaving his mind with the smallest glimmer of hope. "Zara? Promise me...Promise me you'll take any chance to live, any chance there might be to get away from all of this? They can do what they will to me, but I want you to keep fighting. Do this for me?"

Biting down on her lip to keep it from trembling, the girl gave a small nod, waiting until she was confident she could reply with collected calmness. "They're not gonna give us an opportunity to get away, I'm certain of that. But I will try. I promise. Don't give up on us just yet, Jimmy boy."

Managing to smile as he gave the girl's nose a small kiss, Jim's look changed entirely as he suddenly recalled something, turning his head this way and that to try to look about the dark brig. "Where-Where's Morph?"

Following his gaze around the room, Zara's eyes came back to him in utter confusion. "I thought he was with you."

"I haven't seen him since after dinner yesterday. You sure you don't know?" Letting go of Zarabeth, Jim took a moment to check the pockets of his pajama pants, nothing to show for his efforts as he furrowed his brow. "I hope he's ok. I don't think I've seen any of the crew with him, ours or theirs. Hopefully he's safe hiding somewhere."

"He's probably fine. Morph's not one to-"

The heavy tread of boots against the stairs at the other side of the brig brought everyone's attentions to focus on the smuggler captain making his way down into the darkness, two of his other men accompanied by Felix.

One would never know that this was the first officer who had betrayed his crew, his eyes as cold and steadfast as any other member of the brigand group, not a hint of remorse to be seen.

Ewen took a casual glance about the room with a satisfied smirk, his voice ringing through the silence coupled with the darkness as the Aberdeen's crew fearfully waited for him to speak, everyone knowing full well that their lives now constantly hung in the balance.

"Morning everyone. As of today, the RLS Aberdeen is under new management. If any of you has a problem with that, you can talk to the other end of my pistol. We clear? Good. First thing's first. My men and I have absolutely no use for you, aside from a few material things and the fact that you're all considered leverage. But that doesn't mean I need all of you. Start acting up like that spitfire wench over there and I will promptly dispose of you one by one."  
Zarabeth swallowed hard to keep from showing how much fear was creeping back into her mind, Jim's grip tightening around her a strange sort of comfort.

"Enough formalities. Time to get working. We reach Rhitan in less than three days, in that time, I need this ship to be running as if absolutely nothing is wrong. You. Helmsman. You're gonna find my knife planted in the back of your neck if you try anything. I need you, your cook, and you, navigator. Get them out and put back into uniform."

No one moved from where they stood or sat in their cells as the few men selected were taken from the groups and ushered back up on deck.

Ewen scratched distractedly at one of the scarred folds in his face as if trying to put his thoughts back into order. "Now let's see. Next thing on the agenda. Each of you men is commissioned a naval uniform for your service on this ship. Well, now my men are in need of said uniforms. Those of you wearing your jackets and vests, if you have them, get 'em off. That's it. Just throw them into the aisle. Thank you very much. We'll need a few more, but that's no trouble. Captain's wife. Bring her out."

"Oh no you don't." Gritting his teeth in response to the man's last words, Jim was quick to pull Zarabeth behind him, his glare like ice as he instinctively tried to protect her.

"Easy there, Captain. I'm only borrowing her for a little while. After all, I'm sure she's the only one who knows the whereabouts of your own uniform. Out you go, my dear."

Ewen's drawn pistol was just enough of a threat to make Zara give in, afraid that Jim wouldn't if she stayed silent and still. Taking a step away from him toward the opened cell door, she looked back at Jim with pleading eyes as he grabbed at her hand to try to stop her.

"Jim, I'll be right back, ok?" Doing her best to smile for him, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling away, stepping into the middle of the brig as she avoided the other smugglers' stares.

Ewen looked in pure satisfaction between Jim and Zarabeth, baring his yellowed teeth in a smirk of a smile as he motioned the girl away towards the stairs. "Smart girl. Now. You just hang tight, Hawkins. Uniform hunting we go."

Shrugging off the hands that tried to urge her forward, Zara took a small moment to look back over her shoulder, her chest tightening painfully at the look in Jim's eyes as he clung to the cell's bars in obvious frustration, watching her every step until she was out of sight.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

For what felt like a lot longer than the few hours that they were, Zarabeth was busily rummaging through the trunks and knapsacks filling the crew's quarters in search of the other uniforms. As soon as they were all accounted for, Ewen had her working to get each of his men paired with a set that would fit, the girl somehow managing to find enough for all of them. Once he was satisfied, the smuggler leader let Felix escort her back to the stateroom so she could get Jim's uniform.

Zara was somewhat relieved as she shook the dirt from the jacket she retrieved from the pile of clothes on the floor, the evidence of her tussle with the men the night before still evident everywhere in the room. This was the last thing she had to do.

Handing the jacket to Felix behind her, she searched through the rest of the mess to find Jim's hat and undershirt. "That should do it. Doubt it'll fit him too well, but I'm not here to play seamstress."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Thank you." The officer ignored the far off look in the girl's eyes as he took the hat from her trembling hands, hardening his own gaze as he prepared himself for what he was about to do.

Looking up once she was finished, Zara moved back towards to door, following behind Felix when the officer suddenly stopped just inside the stateroom, forcing the girl to pause in the doorway. "Felix?"

Turning on his heels to suddenly face her, he took a decidedly firm step closer to where Zarabeth stood, forcing the girl a little ways back. "I'm sorry Zara. But I can't let you go back down there. You need to stay here."

"Wha-" Unsure for a moment about what he meant by it, the girl's mind jumped into awareness as Felix tried to close the door on her, just managing to catch it with a sharp yank back open. "Felix no! You-You have to take me back to Jim-"

"Zarabeth, please. You're not safe down there."

"I'm no safer up here! Don't you understand that? Felix, it doesn't matter what you do. I don't want to be anywhere but with Jim."

For a moment, his eyes gave up their icy glare, a hint of sympathy in his look before he shook his head in complete resolve. "I won't do it. Not to you. Do yourself a favor and keep quiet for a while."

Without another word of warning, Felix took hold of the girl's hands, pushing her back with just enough force to get her away from the door before quickly shutting and locking it with a solid 'click'.

"Felix! Felix no! You unlock this door right now!" Anger overwhelming her mind, Zarabeth pulled and kicked at the piece of wood holding her captive, not caring how much noise she made as she rammed her shoulder against its steadfast frame. Her outbursts didn't last long. Her frustration replaced with utter despair, the walls of the small room began to close in on her as she sunk to the floor. Cradling her head in her hands, the tears she'd faithfully held at bay for so long now fell unhindered over her cheeks.

"Please...Don't take him from me..."

Not like this, it couldn't end like this. She didn't want to be left alive if Jim was going to be killed with the rest. She just couldn't accept that. Not now.

After a few minutes of letting herself cry, Zarabeth pulled her head up with a trembling breath, wiping at her tear stained cheeks before shakily getting back to her feet.

This was no good. There had to be something she could do.

Looking about the disheveled room, Zara's eyes fell upon the small nightstand beside the bed, the thought growing in her mind leaving her both hopeful yet terrified.

It could work. But if it didn't, she knew that would be the end of her luck.

Jim's words from only hours ago, the promise she'd made to him to take any chance to survive rang through her mind. Now was her only chance. She had to take it.

Zarabeth's heart pounded mercilessly in her throat as she quickly moved to kneel beside the bed, pushing the small table aside as her fingers yanked and pulled at one of the smaller floorboards beneath. The wood finally gave way to lift out of the rest of the flooring, revealing the small key hidden beneath. Taking it with trembling hands, Zara replaced the board before moving the table back into place. She never thought she'd need the spare key, but it was for moments like this that Jim had taken the precaution at all.

Zara had to act quickly. If Ewen found out Felix was keeping her separated, it wouldn't be long before a fuss would be raised. She had maybe a half hour at most.

Rummaging through the trunk and wardrobe, Zarabeth managed to scrounge together one of Jim's packs and some old clothes they'd brought, replacing her pajamas with one of his shirts and a pair of her dark leggings. Filling the pack with extra shirts and socks, she managed to relocate the key to the gun closet, choosing the lightest pistol before loading it and tucking it away in the belt tied around her waist. Zara buckled a pair of Jim's boots down to as small as they would go around her feet, knowing that none of her shoes would last long with what she planned to do.

The girl took a moment to look over everything she had packed, pulling her disheveled hair up out of her face before slipping on one of Jim's more worn jackets, filling the pockets with the extra clips of ammunition.

"Ok. I can do this." Looking between the door and the small key in her hands, she took a few deep breaths to calm her mind before moving to slip the key into the lock, turning it nervously until it gave way with a sharp 'click'.

Carefully turning the handle, Zara hadn't realized how much the door creaked until now. Every inch she opened it was another moment for her to hold her breath in terrified anticipation, her efforts finally rewarded as she let herself into the empty stateroom.

Setting down the loaded pack atop Jim's desk, Zarabeth moved his chair as quickly and quietly as she could to prop it beneath the handle of the door leading out onto the deck before securely locking it.

Already feeling better once that was done, the girl began pulling open the drawers of the heavy desk one by one, her search for a certain ring of keys interrupted by a chorus of shrill, ecstatic chirping.

Falling back in complete surprise, Zara couldn't help her quiet giggling as the small pink shapeshifter excitedly licked and loved on her. "Shh shh, Morph you gotta keep quiet. I'm happy to see you too. Glad you're ok, but I'm getting out of here."

The creature's expression changed in an instant as he looked in confusion between her and the locked door before turning into his usual imitation of Jim.

Zarabeth swallowed hard as she tried to get back to her feet, the sudden rocking of the ship, making it difficult for a brief moment. "We can't get Jim. Not right now. The smugglers have him and the crew locked up below. But we still have a chance. If we can get to Inyang and find Silver, he may know what to do. You coming with me?"

At the mention of Silver, Morph swirled around the girl's head a few times before stopping to land on her shoulder, giving her a dramatic salute.

"Ok, we need to figure out where we are." Her hands shaking terribly as she pulled out the most recent chart of Jim's she could find, her touch moved lightly over the surface of the parchment until she recognized the system she knew they were flying in. "Montressor, Thalis, Inyang. The only planet near Inyang is...Rhitan. We're headed to the capitol? We should be flying right past Inyang now. Morphy? I need to find the keys that open the closet over there. Do you know?"

The small shapeshifter instantly floated down toward a certain drawer, letting the girl pull it open to extract the group of keys.

Fumbling through each one, Zarabeth finally found the right fit, glancing fearfully over her shoulder before pulling Jim's heavy solar surfer out from the back of the closet.

The metal scraped against the floor at a hair-raising volume, making the girl squirm and grit her teeth before managing to get it up on top of the desk, the effort forcing her to catch her breath for a moment.

"Come here, Morphy." Signaling for the shapeshifter to hide in the inner pocket of her jacket, Zara's heart jumped back into her throat as the sound of approaching voices stopped her breathing for a moment. "Oh boy. We gotta go."

She'd come this far. She couldn't stop now. She just had to stop thinking and just do it.

Zara couldn't control her breathing anymore as she climbed atop the desk with trembling legs, slipping the pack over her shoulder before making sure her foot was locked into the base of the surfer.

Looking up at the wall of glass in front of her, the girl's resolve faltered for a moment, but quickly returned as the handle to the stateroom door failed to give way to someone on the other side, their muffled sounds of raised alarm urging her back to the task at hand.

"Focus, Zarabeth. For Jim. For Jim..."

Swallowing hard to keep her thoughts together, Zara bit down hard on her lip as she pulled her head inside the oversized jacket. Her own breathing the loudest thing to her ears, Zara bent down low to the board beneath her feet, firmly shutting her eyes before slamming her boot down on the starter.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Darkness completely encompassed Zarabeth's mind, nothing but small glimpses of leftover emotions, feelings, and sounds to try to keep pulling her from the utter void of her thoughts. From somewhere around her kept pulsing the sounds of cooing, some moments soft, others a little more high-pitched, but it wasn't this which tried most to pull the girl from her stupor. No, it was the pain, constant stinging whenever she somehow realized she was moving, even if it was only a little. She couldn't stay like this anymore.

With one forced effort, Zara's eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision dull and fading in and out of pulsing colors and textures before she realized she was nearly face down in the ground. It didn't take much to roll onto her back, the girl's aching limbs somewhat relieved with her lying flat, but the pain didn't recede.

The cooing she'd heard all this while spiked in volume as a terrified Morph fluttered down to float right in front of her eyes, the small shape-shifter literally melting down onto her chest in obvious relief.

"Morph?" Zarabeth cringed at the sound of her own voice, even those few syllables grinding together in her throat. "Where…Where are we?"

What happened? Trying hard to think back before things had gone black, fragments of random memories came back to her one piece at a time.

The smugglers. Jim's solar surfer. The storm. She remembered breaking through to get out of the ship, but after that was a blur of rain, wind, and then something knocking into the surfer just before she'd landed. Did the smugglers try to hit her?

The girl's eyes still not completely cooperating, she was no longer content with where she was lying, Zara's attempt to sit up quickly deterred as she winced in renewed pain, the arm she'd put her pressure on almost burning with the sharp bouts of stinging. Salvaging her efforts by hurriedly switching her weight to her other arm, she managed to get upright, leaning as far forward as she needed to in order to keep her balance.

Her eyes pulled down to see what was hurting her so much, Zarabeth instantly wished she could look away. Her left arm, the one she'd used to shield herself from the panes of glass she'd broken through, was now riddled with its small shards, the thick jacket only able to protect her so much.

Releasing the trembling breath she'd been holding, Zara swallowed hard in an attempt to try to reaffirm her control over her mind, carefully moving to sit on her knees so that she was more stable. She didn't know what to do. Fighting to stay focused on figuring out how to get the pieces out was easier said than done with the constant and, mostly, dull pain throbbing from her wrist to just below her shoulder.

Floating only as close to her injured arm as he dared, Morph gave a series of apologetic chirps before twirling around to transform into a pair of tweezers, his reaction procuring a small smile from Zarabeth as she gratefully took hold of him.

"Thanks Morphy. You're going to have to bear with me for a bit."

Managing to tear one of the shirts she'd brought, Zara set aside one of the leftover pieces before readying herself for what she was going to do. Taking a deep breath to urge her hand to move, Zarabeth bit down on her lip in nervous anticipation of the pain she fully expected and tried to prepare for, deftly using Morph's new form to begin freeing the shards of glass from her arm.

Starting higher up on her shoulder and working her way down, Zara only took small pauses to catch her breath, instinctively holding it every time she began to work out a new piece. She freed the ones that hadn't gotten through the jacket sleeve, happy to remove the heavy outer clothing once that was done, leaving a few of the smaller shards beneath.

The pain wasn't as bad as she'd expected, not differing greatly from what she was already feeling except for that of relief whenever she was able to victoriously add another piece of the glass to the cloth she'd laid beside her.

It took a great deal of time, the evening light that had been there for her all this time now quickly fading into the deep colors of twilight. She didn't have much time left. Using the last bits of fleeting light, Zarabeth was forced to prioritize, focusing on the bigger pieces first so as to not have them still there once the darkness was complete.

"That'll have to be good enough. I don't even know if you'd be able to get the others. But thanks, Morph. You're a big help." Holding the tweezers idly in her palm, the shape-shifter returned to his natural state with a soft coo in reply, content to stay in her hand.

Looking up at the Etherium high above her, Zara could only guess that she had maybe a half-hour of light left. Her eyes searching over her surroundings, she truly took in the sight of it for the first time. She tried hard to not be intimidated by the hostile appearance of the dense forest around them, the ground strewn with the leaves of the early turning trees. High above her head, Zarabeth could pick out the chatter of birds and small animals she didn't recognize, instinctively pulling Morph a little closer as she tried to swallow down her heart pounding in her throat. "This certainly isn't how I pictured Inyang."

Morph's silence was suddenly broken with the girl's words, the shape-shifter hurriedly floating up to eye-level as he frantically shook his head.

"Morph? What's wrong?"

Instantly frustrated that she didn't understand, his small pink form separated into two spheres, one much smaller than the other, the larger turning a dusty brown contrasting with the other's bright green.

"I know. Morph, we're on Inyang." Trying to get his attention by poking the larger sphere, the shape-shifter instantly began moving the smaller one around her head to get her to understand where he wanted her to focus.

"You-You're saying we're not?"

Satisfied that she'd gotten it right, Morph returned to his natural form with enthusiastic clapping.

Wracking her brain for an explanation, the small bit of control Zarabeth had over her mind threatened to give way as she looked about her in confusion. "We're...We're on Inyang's moon. We're not anywhere near Silver."

Swallowing hard to keep her mind from completely leaving her, she fought to think of a way around this, suddenly remembering how they got here at all. "Jim's surfer. Where is it?"

Morph transformed into a miniature image of the solar surfer crashing into a small patch of forest before turning into a humanoid hand pointing in the direction that he'd last seen it.

"We still have some time before the light goes away completely. Come on Morph."

The majority of her weight was momentarily supported by the closest tree she could crawl to, the girl waiting only as long as she dared for her legs to stop trembling beneath her before following Morph's lead through the trees and underbrush.

It didn't take long to find the solar surfer, the small but constant plume of telltale smoke rising from its mangled form forcing Zarabeth back to her knees in order to keep from completely losing control over her fragile senses.

That was their only way off.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Zara managed a small laugh to release some of the tension building up inside her, cradling her forehead in her good hand with a shaky breath. "Jim's gonna kill me."

Nothing but silence followed, the absolute lack of sound making Morph become antsy, his small form timidly moving to perch on the girl's shoulder with a mournful little sigh.

She didn't know how long she'd sat there unmoving, but no matter how much she turned the thought over in her mind, it was still the only tangible hope she had. Taking in a deep breath to try to keep her words from shaking with her slowly firming resolve, Zara pulled her head up to look down at the small creature beside her, managing a small smile to help convince not only him but her own mind as well.

"Morphy? I've got a job for ya."

Perking up into attention, he stretched up a little higher to give her a quizzical look.

"I need you to find Silver. Yes, without me."

Reaching into the pack laying abandoned at her feet, she procured a crumpled envelope from the chaos of random articles around it. "This is where he is. Somewhere between these two settlements. We're counting on you, Morph. Me, Jim, the crew, we need you to do this. When you find him, try to tell him what's happened. If he can do anything, Jim comes first. No, I mean it. I'm safer than they are, right now. Make sure they're alright and then you can worry about me. I'm clearly not going anywhere, so you know where to find me. Ok?"

Morph was obviously less than convinced, hovering nervously in front of her as if he was pacing before giving in with a soft sigh and small salute.

Smiling in relief, Zarabeth winced as she tried to reach out with her left hand before quickly finishing her intentions with her uninjured arm, gently tickling the shape-shifters little form to get him smiling again. "Thank you. I know you can do it. Now, off you go while there's still light. Good boy."

One more nuzzle with a playful lick and he was gone, flying off as quickly as he could toward the open Etherium.

"Tell Silver I love him." Her smile fading with her voice, Zara bit down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling as she watched until she could no longer distinguish the shape-shifter from the rest of the stardust clouds.

Her eyes continued to stare upward until only the stars and Etherium were left lighting the darkness around her, Zarabeth's whispered plea falling on the forest's deaf ears. "Jim, please be safe."

She didn't realize how quiet it'd gone until the snap of a twig from somewhere close by brought the girl's mind back into full awareness. Drawing her gun as she turned to face the sound, all that met Zara's eyes was darkness, nothing moving distinguishable to her constant stare, her voice only barely above a whisper as it trembled in unavoidable fear. "M-Morph? Is that you? Don-Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark."

She was trying to convince herself that her sudden fears were all for nothing, not even an animal cry to be heard now.

"Calm down, Zarabeth. You're alone. You're going to be alright. There's nothing the-"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Oh..." Zarabeth gave a low groan as she slowly opened her eyes, the moment she did quickly leaving her wishing she could be unconscious again as her head pounded painfully with the steady beating of her heart. "What...Ouch-"

Letting her head fall back to look up, all the girl could see was her hands bound together above her. She was sitting up, facing a wooden beam stuck in the ground right in front of her, completely at a loss as to where she was.  
It only took a few short tugs at the ropes to confirm that she wasn't going anywhere, her left arm burning under the efforts to free herself.

Zarabeth couldn't help the look of confusion suddenly clouding over her face, her bewilderment coming from the appearance of her injured arm. It was bandaged, cleaned up even, the mess of mud and blood that had covered her hands, arms, and shoulders now all but gone. She didn't know whether to feel afraid or comforted by this discovery.

Where was she? Turning her head this way and that to try to get any idea or clue, all Zara could really see was the thick animal hide walls and ceiling surrounding her on all sides, the structure supported primarily by the pole she was currently tied to. The little light that was being let in was from a flap-like door to her left and the place where the furs and skins connected to the pole near the top. The sky above was bright with morning light, signaling that the rest of the day was still left to her as it filled the small space around her with a warm golden glow.

Zarabeth waited in the silence filling the small enclosure, focusing on keeping her breathing even and calm.

This was certainly no time to panic. After all, she had no real reason to feel afraid, aside from the fact that she was being held against her will in a place complete foreign to her. She had done nothing wrong. Well, except that she'd drawn her gun at what she'd hoped was only an imaginary fright. If there was, in fact, someone there, it wasn't exactly the friendliest first greeting. Zara could only hope that whoever had taken her would realize that she wasn't trying to be a threat. Surely this was all just a misunderstanding.

Attempting to make the most of her time, Zarabeth focused on trying to get feeling back into her fingers, their lack of color and inconsistent movements confirming to her that circulation was greatly lacking. Her efforts to stay busy short lived once she'd succeeded, it was difficult all the while to not aggravate her arm any more than was necessary.

Zara didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, but the pounding in her head had, by this time, basically disappeared. The newfound clarity in her mind brought her attention to the sounds of low chatter and feet moving outside of where she was being held. But no matter how hard she tried, Zara couldn't pick out any one conversation from the next, the realization hitting her that the problem wasn't her being able to hear them or not. They were speaking a different language.

The fear she had been forcing herself to avoid was now suddenly too much to suppress. This was a problem.

She couldn't understand them. They wouldn't be able to understand her. There was no way for her to convince them of her intentions.

There was no more time than that to fret over this new development, what was left of Zarabeth's concentration dashed aside by the presence of someone ducking in through the small opening to get inside.

The girl stiffened in fear as she watched the form of an overly muscled man straighten up to stand over her, his face and any skin showing from beneath his clothes painted in vibrant colors and designs she did not understand the significance of.

She didn't move. She only watched. Eyes locked with his, Zara couldn't read his blank expression, the man obviously scrutinizing her the way she was him.

The girl instinctively flinched when he moved too slowly walk the circumference of the small space, his gaze constant as his heavy tread became the only sound filling the tent.

Neither spoke.

Zarabeth released the trembling breath she had been holding, her arms shaking a little as they hung above her, a reaction she desperately wanted to control but couldn't seem to no matter how hard she tried.

It wasn't until the man had walked once all the way about her before stopping to directly face the trembling girl in front of him, somehow managing to cross his enormous arms over his chest with only the slightest glare in his eyes to show any emotion he felt.

Was he waiting for her to say something? Was he not going to speak at all? Maybe he already had guessed that she wouldn't understand him if he did try to speak.

Minutes passed, but still nothing. The silence between them was suffocating. He seemed to not be fazed by it, but Zarabeth was struggling to keep her composure. Without a clue as to what was going on or what was going to happen, she feared that her emotions would overrule her mind, forcing her to do something she'd desperately regret.

Just when she thought she'd be forced to speak first out of sheer desperation, someone else joined them in the small enclosure, a young woman this time.

Zara's attention now completely focused on her, it sort of surprised her how much smaller she was than the man already there. She was tall, but slender, lithe like a cat and probably just as agile. Like the man standing in front of her, the young woman was covered in streaks of paint, but hers only varying shades of green. Tanned though she appeared, her hair color was what surprised Zarabeth most, the novelty causing her to unintentionally stare. It was silver like starlight, long and soft looking yet wind-blown like the mane of a wild horse. Everything about her looked exotic, almost frightening, her sharply angled eyes of gold pairing well with the pointed tips of her ears. Zara had never seen any race like her before.

The girl's distracted mind was brought back to reality the moment the alien woman spoke, her metallic voice ringing through the enclosure in a string of words Zarabeth could not understand. Trying to make her confusion clear, she didn't say a word, simply showing her emotions in her eyes since she knew replying was of no use.

Leaving silence to persist for a few uncomfortable moments, the young woman moved to kneel in front of Zara, her gaze now level with hers as she seemed to search for the answer in her eyes.

Beginning to feel exposed under the alien girl's intense stare, Zara couldn't help how her body began to squirm in anticipation, waiting eagerly for anything to happen.

"You do not speak?"

"W-What?" The shock was evident in Zarabeth's voice, her expression completely blank as she wondered if she'd actually heard her correctly.

"Our language, Ahaela, you do not speak it?"

"Uh..n-no. No I don't. But you speak mine?"

Ignoring Zara's question, the girl turned to the man still standing stiffly behind them, spewing off a long string of foreign words before getting a small nod from him in response as he moved to leave them alone.

The young woman turned back to Zarabeth with a gentle smile, all fronts melting away as she gave her an apologetic look, her words somewhat broken and forced, but still understandable. "I greatly apologize for the way my kinsman have treated you. It was not good for them to bring you."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand where I am."

"You are in my clan's borders, just a little ways from where my brother found you."

"That...That man was your brother?"

"Yes. Prince of our clan, my brother and his friends found you in the hour of hunting. They did not know whether you were pirate or worse. I do not think you are. The gun you carry is better than that."

"You speak rather well for a foreigner. How do you know how to talk to me? I have never heard of people living on this moon."

Obviously more than convinced that Zarabeth was not a threat, the alien girl pulled a short knife from her belt as she looked cautiously towards the door, cutting Zara's hands free after only a moment of hesitation. "There is outpost we are friends with. They are many smugglers but not bad people. They are very good to us. I have used years to understand your speech, and they are learning ours. It is needed if I wish to continue such bonds with them. But you are not any of them. What are you here?"

"I..." Rubbing distractedly at her chafed wrists, Zarabeth tried to make sure not to move her injured arm, lifting a timid hand to lightly touch the bandages securely wrapped around it. "I'm the wife of a captain who flies for the government near here, for Rhitan and the royal family. Our ship was taken by smugglers and they're going to kill my husband and his crew. I was able to escape, but I crashed here instead of on Inyang. I was going for help. I know someone there. I'm not trying to hurt you or any of your clan."

It was easy to see that the young woman believed her, giving her a small nod with a soft smile as she brushed the hair behind one of her pointed ears. "I know. I can see that you speak truth. I am sorry for what has happened. What do you intend to do if we can let you go?"

"I...I guess I would ask if you have any way for me to go to Inyang, or maybe even to Rhitan directly. I cannot stay here unless I am forced. I won't let him die."

"Your husband and the other people are still alive then?"

"As far as I know. The smugglers need them to stay safe for whatever they have planned to do. They need to reach Rhitan first."

"How long?"

"Two maybe three days at most. We were close when I escaped yesterday."

Sitting back on her heels in obvious concentration, the alien girl furrowed her brows as she stayed silent for a while, deep in thought. "I will see what my father thinks. He is a hard man and not likely to simply let you go. My brother is the same. They do not fear you as a physical person, but the fact that you know us at all. We are a secretive people, protected by the highest seat government you speak of. The outpost is exception to keep feelings good between us and the smuggler people. We are not supposed to be known here. Our ways are too peaceful for interference by any. Do you understand?"

Giving a small nod to confirm that she did, Zarabeth swallowed hard as the woman's words began to sink in.

"Good. I am sure you could give me truth that you would not speak of us, but I do not know if my clan leaders would agree. I will try, for you and the life of your husband."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Zarabeth watched as the morning light brightened into full day, but was only left waiting longer until everything began to fade back into evening. The fact that no one had come for her since the alien woman had left made Zara's worry gradually heighten, unsure of what to make of her solitude. She knew better than to leave the relative safety of where she was, but it was nice to at least have her hands free.

There was nothing left to do but sit there, fidgeting distractedly with the knot tying off the bandage covering her arm.

The more time passed, the more Zarabeth's attention was drawn away by the pounding in her head. Her headache from before, though greatly lessened, wasn't going away, the longer she waited confirming that it wasn't just from being knocked senseless the night before.

Worry, confusion, dull pain, everything was layering to slowly drive Zara to near insanity at the prospect of just sitting there while she waited on the return of the young woman, or maybe someone else before her. Either way, there was no use in doing anything else, her need to find some rest finally forcing her to lay down in one corner of the small space, hoping that sleep would relieve her mind of everything for even just a little while.

It seemed as soon as she had relaxed enough to close her eyes that she was being gently shaken awake, opening her eyes to see the same girl as before leaning over her, the look in her eyes bringing Zarabeth into full awareness.  
Distress, concern, these were the emotions filling her eyes as she helped Zara to sit up, the young woman nervously looking over her shoulder every few moments. "I am sorry. There was nothing to do. But you cannot stay here."

"They...They don't intend to let me go?"

"We have been in talk all day, but I cannot tell them otherwise. You must come with me, now, before they see I have left."

Nodding without another word, Zarabeth didn't need any more encouragement before she was completely up, gratefully accepting back the pack of random clothing and items that'd been taken away from her upon her capture.

Confirming to the girl that she was ready, she followed behind as they silently slipped out from the tent and into full evening light, making Zara's surroundings truly understood to her for the first time.

They were in a good sized clearing, the far reaching arms of the canopy of trees surrounding it somewhat shading them. Zara now found herself completely surrounded by huts and tents, some on the ground, others built in the limbs of the nearby trees. No one was around. They were alone, but most likely not for long.

"We must hurry. Time is not what we have. Follow me."

Through the trees, dodging hanging ferns and thick clusters of vines and other vegetation, sometimes wading through small seas of wild grass, Zara was constantly on the alert as they made their way on a path completely invisible to her, but clearly not to her escort. No one seemed to be following them, but this didn't keep Zarabeth from glancing over her shoulder every so often.

Though not full out running, the young woman's pace was rapidly sapping away at what energy Zarabeth had left, leaving her panting quietly as she completely focused on keeping her feet moving. She was determined to keep from being careless with her steps for fear of tripping on the foliage around her.

"We are close."

It astonished Zara how completely collected the alien girl in front of her was, her every movement sure and graceful, sound like that of a feline being. She was grateful for her words since they'd been at it for a good fifteen minutes, Zara's legs now trembling violently beneath her, but still moving with the renewed hope of reprieve soon to be had ahead.

When nothing changed for the next few minutes, the doubt beginning to fill Zara's mind was suddenly swept aside as she realized where they were headed. A short ways away was a small clearing where the land stopped its gentle rolling to steepen into a low cliff, its bare side pelted with entrances to what Zarabeth could only assume were caves. A few of the openings were set at ground level, while most were nestled higher up.

Relief was a poor description of what Zara felt when they finally stopped between the two largest entrances. Her legs instantly giving out on her, she landed hard on her knees, fighting to catch her breath as she sat there nearly doubled over. "I...I'm sorry, I'm not...used to this much exercise. I-It's been a while."

The young woman's smile was soft yet genuine as she knelt beside Zarabeth's trembling form, her hand gentle against her shoulder. "Do not be sorry. You did very well. This was far for someone as ill fit for it as you."

Zara didn't know how to take her last comment, but simply decided to accept them since she was the one sitting crumpled and completely breathless on the ground.

Stepping into the entrance further to their right, Zarabeth's first reaction was that of being suddenly soothed by the cool air surrounding her flushed face. The light breeze from outside wafted past them to keep the slightly moist atmosphere from smelling. Zara was amazed at how the alien girl confidently led her to the back of the long space, completely blinded in the dark by the time they'd reached the far wall.

Zarabeth flinched for only a moment as the girl took hold of her good hand, obviously realizing that Zara could not see as well as she in the pitch black, carefully leading her around a sharp turn in the narrowing space to slowly begin climbing upward along rough stone steps Zara could feel but not see.

"Be cautious. Some foot places are wet and difficult to step firmly."

"How high does this go?"

"To the highest places, but we are not walking that high. It is more difficult the more up you go. We will stop soon. Few know of this place but my trusted friends. You are safe."

Before long, Zara could make out a few rays of light from just a little ways above where they were now, assumedly being let in from another one of the opening on the side of the cliff.

"Here we stop. You can rest well here. I have told my friends to come to us. They can help. We all can."

Letting her pack fall to the stone floor before sitting down in relief against the wall, Zara shook her head with an exasperated smile as she pulled her legs close. "Here you are, I'm seen as some sort of threat to your clan, we just met, I don't even know your name, yet you've let me escape and are now trying to help me. I'm more grateful than I can say, but why? Why do you do this?"

Sitting a little ways across from her, legs crossed as she propped her elbows against her knees, the alien girl had nothing but sweetness in her eyes, every word spoken with confidence. "You are no threat. You are lost. You are not speaking false to me. I cannot allow my family to hurt you to save tradition of secrecy. From what you speak of the smugglers who took the ship of your husband, they do not mean for good things. They mean only harm to the high people who protect our existence for many ages. As second seat of my clan, I cannot stay close eyed to that possibility. Not either will my friends of the sister and brother clans. That is why they are to come soon. They see like me."

Her soft smile brightened as she reached her hand out to Zara, palm facing up as she finished. "My name is given freely to you if I have yours."

Reaching out with clear uncertainty, Zara seemed to be doing the correct thing by laying her hand over hers, procuring a small laugh of acceptance from her. "Zarabeth. Zarabeth Hawkins."

Obviously satisfied, the girl's hand didn't move till she was finished with her surprising reply. "Nomidriellamase of the Bessimellanto clan."

"Nom-Nomi-What?"

Amused by Zara's confusion, the alien girl threw back her head with a small laugh before repeating herself. "Nomidriellamase. I am also called Nomie."

"May I call you that?"

"Yes you are welcome. I apologize. Our clans give long titles of those who sit in high seats. My father is highest. My brother and I are second seats."

"Well, Nomie, it's my pleasure to meet you."

"Like the same of you, Zarabeth."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Zarabeth started awake as the smoldering chunks of wood collapsed into an even more chaotic mess of flames and ash. The small fire was warm, filling the cave with light and heat to help protect her and Nomie from the night air breezing in through the fairly good sized opening beside them.

Pulling Jim's jacket tighter around her shoulders, Zara looked up to see the alien girl standing next to the edge, looking out as if concentrating hard on something in the distance.

"Nomie? What is it? Do you see something?"

She didn't move to respond at first, the silence persisting between them for a few moments before the alien girl's hands were raised to cup around her mouth, the animal-like noise coming from her parted lips carried loudly out into the darkness.

Zarabeth listened intently, certain that all she could hear was the crackling of the fire in front of her. About to ask again, the girl stopped as the reply of another animal tone screeched up to them, the hair raising on the back of her neck as she forced herself to remember that it was probably just one of the friends signaling their arrival to her.

Nomie's smile was brighter than the firelight dancing over the walls as she turned to face Zara, her voice low, yet notably excited to match the look in her eyes. "They have come. Four friends mine, two from our sister clan to the east, one of south, and the last not but a small way's walk from this."

Hardly had she finished explaining but that voices could be heard resounding just below them, making Zarabeth to stand in anticipation of being introduced to Nomie's comrades. Her eyes focused on the entrance leading into the dark space where the steps were, Zara's attention was abruptly pulled back over her shoulder toward the opening behind her as low grunts and heavy breathing were soon followed by the form of a man as he crawled up to them that way.

Zara took an instinctive step back at his sudden presence, the young man, tall and fit like a warrior, stood at least a whole head taller than her, his skin, like every other of his race she'd seen, painted intricately with bold earth-tone colors. His look was kind and gentle, in contrast to the vibe his physical appearance gave, his smile equally as radiant as Nomie's as Zara watched him lean down to tenderly kiss her.

Surprised more than anything, Zarabeth hadn't realized she was still watching him until the alien girl turned back to her, Nomie almost nervously moving her hair back behind her pointed ears as her smile found its way to the corners of her mouth.

"Zarabeth, he is Gungeth, third seat of our brother clan. My husband soon."

Dipping her head a little in respect, Zara smiled warmly to mirror the look of the man, laying her hand over his when he offered it as Nomie had before. "Zarabeth Hawkins. Wonderful to meet you, Gungeth. You are quite lucky to soon have a girl like Nomie as your wife."

The alien man's smile softened even more as he glanced down at the girl beneath his arm, his words even more confidently uttered than Nomie's, surprising Zara with how well he spoke. "That I am, lucky I mean. The two clans so long torn in argument will be whole again."

Making their way out of the dark stone hall came three more people of the same race, each with similar appearance to that of Nomie and Gungeth, their silvery hair shimmering in the firelight filling the space.

"Zarabeth, my friends. Homald and Tristaf of the east clan and Soreshta of south. Soreshta is third seat of her clan."

Doing her best to keep the names separated and remembered, Zarabeth laid her hand over each of theirs in turn, the two girls very different in physical stature while Homald was built closer to Gungeth.

Once everyone was introduced, they all sat along the circumference of the small fire, dividing and sharing the food which they'd brought for their visit. For a good while, the small group spoke in their own language, their conversation marked with peaks of emotion here and there, but otherwise seemingly unimportant sounding, giving Zara a chance to eat quietly.

Nearly dozing off as she sat with her back propped against the wall behind her, the warmth of the stone from the heat of the fire failed from putting her back to sleep as the sound of her name brought her into full awareness again.

"I-I'm sorry. What was that?"

Nomie's eyes softened upon seeing how she'd startled Zarabeth from sleep, looking at her friends around her before letting her golden eyes fall back to her. "To our clans, many of us now here with you is high seated. We are the leaders to be of our families. We care much about tradition and our general peace. Homald and Tristaf have been to see the smugglers in the east part. It is not good. They say some smugglers are together to take illegal guns and other things into Rhitan to arm bad groups hiding there who are unhappy. They mean to start fights in that place. A war inside the high seat's city will hurt all, us as well. We have been hiding here for many ages. War inside would show our existence to others, bad people."

"W-Wait." Sitting forward a little more, her gaze lost to the fiery embers for a few brief moments as she fought to understand. "You're talking about civil war. In the capitol. Is that right?"

Adding a few small pieces of wood to the fire, Gungeth's eyes didn't raise either, his look suddenly too serious to be taken as anything other than that. "Exactly right. These smugglers know men living in Rhitan, whole groups of them stuck there under refugee laws from past wars. The government keeps them there for their safety, but they've never felt like they needed protecting. The smugglers know that. They'll stoke the flames of dissension till it all breaks loose. The criminals among the smugglers on Inyang will take full advantage of civil war. They benefit if the system collapses."

Swallowing hard at the thought of it, Zara played distractedly with the bandage on her arm as she sorted through everything. "Jim's ship. His mission. Ewen took the crew's uniforms. He's impersonating officers to get into Rhitan to smuggle the weapons in. They needed to be hidden in plain sight."

The five looked between each other in subtle notes of distress, mumbling back and forth to each other in their own language before Nomie's voice cut through the others.

"Your husband's ship cannot go to Rhitan. It cannot land. Our highest seats will not think good of us leaving, but there are others same as us who will think well of it. They will help. I give my word on this."

Tristaf spoke up for the first time, her gray eyes filled with determination as her voice resounded subtly over the stone walls. "I can get boats. Homald and I have others who will join. But we do not have enough weapons for us all."

"Don't worry about that. I can get us what we need."

"Good. Good. That is done." Nomie's smile sweet as she aimed it at her fiancé, she leaned up to give his cheek a small kiss before turning back to the rest of the group. "We have not time for much. Come here by tomorrow highest light and we shall leave. Sleep here whoever wants it, but I think we are finished with the plans for now."

"Nomie, everyone." Looking between each expectant face as they turned their attentions to Zarabeth, she swallowed back her nervousness to keep her voice even as she bowed her head a little in gratitude. "Thank you for everything you've done, that you're still doing. I know you have your own reasons politically, but you've still risked things to keep me safe till now, even when we've just met. I can't thank you enough."

"As second seat to my clan and same of my friends here now, we pact with you." Looking at the people around her, Nomie reached her hand out to her again, waiting for Zara's hand to follow. "You are kind and honest. You respect us and we can do the same of you. By my honor and that of my clan, we will do our most to see your husband safe."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

"I am sorry you are not well."

Wiping her mouth with the back of her good hand as she slowly straightened up, Zarabeth tried to ignore the metallic taste left in her mouth as she gratefully accepted the water-skin Nomie offered to her. "I've been like this since I got here. I'm not sure, but I don't think this moon agrees with me very well."

Nervous anticipation had kept Zara from sleeping more than a few hours the night before, her perpetual state of fatigue not helping with the upset stomach she'd been battling the past few days. She didn't know exactly how she felt about the plans to be had ahead. She wanted nothing more than to see Jim, but what she really wanted was to see him as safe and sound as she hoped he would be. She couldn't help but think of everything that could possibly go wrong today, after all, they were going up against the Aberdeen. Though small compared to some naval ships, she was heavily loaded when it came to artillery and laser-power. They were going to have to sneak aboard if they hoped to get anything but capture or worse out of their attempts.

"How much longer till everyone shows up?"

"Soon."

Zarabeth tipped her head back to join Nomie in gazing up into the Etherium above them, clearly able to see Inyang close by, and Rhitan a ways further. Flying there alone was going to take a few hours, precious time Zara didn't necessarily think they had.

"Nomie, I'm curious." Waiting till she'd gotten the girl's full attention, she continued with her thought. "You and the others are from different clans, you live separate lives. How did you all become such close friends?"

The girl's smile was soft as she moved to sit on the uneven ground, her back leaning comfortably against the cliff-side behind her as she patted the empty space beside her invitingly. "We are of different clans and living, but we grew up together. The clans, separated by what makes them different, are still together of all they do. We are many, but still one. Many of our group are known to each other by arranged marriage. Me and Gungeth, Soreshta and Homald. Tristaf is youngest sister of Homald. We are connected by tradition and blood. We cannot be taken apart. This place is ours. These caves we have made to be our hiding place from the time we were smaller. We are the future of our clans and we love our people. We will make stronger leaders if we stay as one."

Leaning back to let her head rest against the surface of the rock wall behind her, Zarabeth simply nodded in understanding as she closed her eyes, smiling softly at the feeling of the afternoon light warming her face, her wandering thoughts brought back into reality as Nomie spoke up once more.

"Your husband, he is captain of the highest seats in Rhitan, yes? How did you meet? Do you fly for them as well?"

"In a way. I was working as a sort of maidservant to the captain of a ship when I was eighteen. Jim was the cabin boy for the cook on that same ship. He wasn't much older than I when we met. We were in the Etherium for quite a while, so we grew to be friends and somehow slowly became more. That was a crazy trip. Pirates, exploding stars, lost treasure, the slave girl fell in love with the cabin boy. After that trip, I went to school with Jim. He became a naval captain, I became his wife and the rest is history."

Her gaze had been concentrated on the stardust clouds above, but a thought brought Zara's eyes back down to the alien girl sitting beside her. "You and Gungeth are an arranged marriage, but it's clear you love each other. Was that always how it was?"

"Oh yes. We have been closest of friends since we were small children. We did not know for many years of the plans of us. But when we were told, it was more happy than sad. We could not be more good for each other. We were like you, friends who become more. I am very excited to be his wife."

"That's the way it should be." Smiling to herself, Zarabeth played distractedly with the strips of the bandage surrounding her arm, not even noticing how the alien girl's attention was focused on her till she began to undo the knot.

"Let me. I wish to see its look."

Managing to hold up her injured arm for her, Zara did her best to read the expression in Nomie's eyes as she carefully unwound the cloth piece by piece.

"It was not easy, healing your arm of the pieces inside. I am afraid that it looked more bad after we finished than what it was before."

This was the first Zara had seen of her arm since her attempt to use Morph to remove the shards of glass herself. The skin from her lower shoulder all the way down to her wrist was littered with hairline cuts, obviously from their attempts to remove the glass entirely. From what she could tell, there wasn't even a single shard left. They'd done their job and they'd done it well. Now all that was left was for her body to heal itself of the aftermath, her arm currently sorer than anything, the pain, when it was there, mere twinges and stings in comparison what it was a few days prior.

Helping Nomie to replace the old bandages with new ones torn from one of the shirts she'd brought, Zarabeth let her smile and the thankfulness in her eyes show the girl how much it meant to her. "I never got a chance to thank you for this. I wasn't able to do very much on my own, but this is far better than I was capable of. Also considering I was your prisoner, you treated me far more kindly than anyone else might have. Thank you."

"You are welcome. If you had not come to us, we would be blind to the fight close now. So I also thank you."

"Well, I kinda crash landed here on mistake. And being captured wasn't exactly on my to-do list either. But it's strange how these unplanned things work for the best. After all, I got to meet you."

This time, Zarabeth was the one to give her hand to the girl, palm facing up as she waited for her reply with a soft smile. "You are going to make a great leader, Nomie. You already are one. You shall always have my deepest respect."

Surprised by the gesture, the look in Nomie's eyes brightened as she gently laid her hand over Zara's. "You have courage, Zarabeth. You make me want to be more brave. Do not stop fighting. Ever. I am glad of your crashing. I will always remember you being here."

"I will always remember my time here. Oh, and uh, thanks for the clothes." Pulling her hand back to try adjusting her skirt for the hundredth time.

"Of course. They look well on you."

"I'm just not quite used to them, but I can see where they'd be comfortable every day. But I don't really feel right, pretending to be one of you."

It was true, Zarabeth now felt more like a true native of their clan, her hair and ears being the only things to ever give her away as anything but one of the aliens around her. Nomie had seen fit to replace what was left of her old torn clothes with some of her own. The texture of the variegated deep green fabric was rough to the touch, but not enough to irritate. Large strips of it were wound from her waste up to her collarbone, held up by a strap over her shoulder on one side. The skirt was all made up of one piece of the same color green but a lighter fabric, tied up higher on one side than the other to help with keeping her movements free. Even the shoes were strange to her, nearly nothing but leather soles tied onto her feet with thin straps of tanned animal skins, the lengths tying up over her legs just until below her knees.

Nomie took Zara's hand to stop her from feeling over the streaks of paint she'd put on her face and arm, nodding in satisfaction as she looked her work over. "Today you are a warrior of us. It is right that you should be dressed this way."

About to say something in reply, Zarabeth's thoughts abandoned her as the sound of voices and the low hum of engines began to make themselves heard in the stillness of the quiet afternoon. "Here they come."

Both girls stood as they watched the group of a couple dozen small skiffs make their way to the clearing, each craft filled with two or three clan members, all young, around Zarabeth's age.

Once the skiffs had landed safely, a few aliens got out here and there, but most stayed seated, all eyes on Nomie as she began calling out to them what Zara could only assume were plans or orders, unable to understand anything of their language. To keep from feeling completely out of place, she kept her mind busy as she searched the changing expressions from face to face of the people who were surrounding them, their looks determined and almost frightful, but somehow excited with the small smiles evident on almost every one of them.

After what felt like much longer than it was, Nomie turned back to face Zarabeth, her smirk only softened by the anticipation in her eyes as she took hold of her hand.

"We go."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Zarabeth wasn't one to play with her hair, but she'd seemingly lost track of how many times she had undone and fixed the messy braid hanging at her back, the near silence of those flying with and around her driving the girl to nervously fidget in anticipation.

They were almost there. She could now see the outlines of naval ships as they sporadically surrounded the border of the planet's circumference. They were obviously there to guard the capitol for some important gathering or another. Little did they know how vulnerable they truly were, the single weak link in their line of defense threatening to overturn them completely in one fowl swoop.

The group of skiffs slowed their constant speed down to almost a crawl. When Zara asked Nomie what this was for, the alien girl quickly explained that they'd be viewed on the ships' scanners as a mere probable group of space creatures, leaving them safe to slip practically unnoticed aboard the Aberdeen once they were close enough.

Like the boats they were flying in, the gun clenched in Zarabeth's hands was a rudimentary style, but clearly still effective for its purpose, though she still hoped that she would never have cause to use it. She kept the laser pistol she'd taken safely secured in the belt on her waist, waiting to give it back to Jim instead of using it herself. Despite her doubts and deepest fears, she desperately hoped that she would find him and not his corpse in the bottom of the brig.

At Nomie's signal, part of the group went onward, tilting their course down to escape the notice of the other ships as they flew on down toward Rhitan's surface. With Gungeth leading them, they hoped to use their clan's high seated man to be a sort of warning to the officials if he could be allowed to tell them what he knew. His speech was the best of those who knew more than their own native tongue, giving him a slight edge above the others to be qualified for the task of giving them fair warning. What skiffs didn't go with him began their approach of the Aberdeen, the low hum of conversations dying completely the closer they came.

They were nearly there when Zarabeth suddenly put her hand on Nomie's arm to stop her, the alien girl waving for the others to halt as she listened to Zara's hurriedly whispered words.

"You are sure to this?"

"I know it's hers. Trust me, Nomie. Send a few of the boats to her, with Soreshta maybe. She can tell my friend what has happened. She will help us a lot. I know it. All she needs is to be warned."

After only a moment of thinking it over, Nomie gave a decided nod as she passed her orders along to Soreshta and the two skiffs with her. They only needed a minute of explanation before they too were gone, flying directly to the group's left toward the next closest ship.

Watching them leave, Zara somehow felt more confident about the situation, her stomach's knotted churning relaxing a bit until they began moving again.

The sounds of gruff voices, orders being uttered and relayed across the decks began to become distinguishable the closer the skiffs flew, carefully keeping toward the underbelly of the Aberdeen so as not to draw any unwanted attention.

Looking around at the dozen or so people still with them, Zarabeth whispered close to the alien girl in front of her to try to understand. "Now what?"

"Now, we get on. We have hooks with rope to get us up. Where is it good to put them?"

Taking a moment to mentally run the ship over in her mind, Zara perked up at a certain thought. "To escape, I broke through the window in the captain's room. It's at the very back of the ship. With everything the smugglers need to do to land soon, I doubt there's anyone in there."

"We shall see there."

"Another place would be the small windows into the galley and brig. They're at the front of the ship."

"Half should go each way." Nomie needed no more encouraging, quietly repeating the plan throughout the whole group till she was sure everyone understood, signaling which side each skiff would take. "Zarabeth, you are alright to lead the others?"

Swallowing hard to keep her heart from beating in her throat, Zara gave a small nod paired with her reassuring smile. "We'll meet up to take the ship once I free Jim and the others."

"I will see you."

Looking down, Zara's smile faded a little as Nomie held her hand out to her, laying her hand atop hers with an almost sad look in her eyes, her only thought of hoping they'd both make it long enough to see each other again before Zarabeth was helped into the next closest skiff. She looked back to watch Nomie as her group slowly drifted toward the bow of the ship, gripping the gun in her lap till her knuckles were white as she fought to keep her breathing even and calm.

This was for Jim.

Once they'd made it to the sets of windows Zara knew led directly into the brig, the girl silently signaled for the skiffs to stop, motioning up to the specific opening she knew would not lead directly into a cell. The last thing they needed was to be stuck without a way out like the rest of the prisoners inside.

One of the alien men stood carefully atop his seat, his balance something to be marveled at as he aimed a crossbow-like contraption with a long line of rope attached to the harpoon headed arrow in its cradle. With deft precision, he shot the dart to lodge securely into the wood just beneath the window, the small group waiting in silence to make sure their presence had not been detected before moving to continue the plan.

One by one, the members of their small party began their assent up the thick rope, except for the few to stay with the skiffs, starting with the man who'd shot it and followed by Zarabeth who was practically pulled up considering the use of her arm was limited. Moving her body through the small space and into the dim of the brig, she dropped down to the floor with as little noise as she could manage, the windows being set up a good ten feet above the floor to keep people from trying to escape that way.

Relieved to find the brig empty of smugglers, she dusted her hands against the front of her skirt, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest as she hurriedly looked about the cells for the one that held Jim, trying to keep the other crew she saw calmed and quiet as she moved from one end of the room to the other.

Zara could hardly keep her hands from trembling as she grabbed at the ring of keys hanging idly on the wall beside the stairs, rifling through the small set to find the one she wanted before moving to open the cell closest to the back wall, a lone figure curled up with his back to her lying in the small barred space. Unlocking the heavy metal with a sharp 'click', the door could hardly open quickly enough before Zarabeth was inside, kneeling down to gently turn him over towards her.

She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or cry upon seeing his face, only managing a trembling breath in relief as she watched his eyes slowly flutter open. "Hey you..."

"Zara?" His voice was hardly audible as he slowly reached a shaking hand to brush against the paint on her cheek as if trying to determine whether she was really there or not. "What...What in Etherium's name are you wearing?"

Giving a small laugh in her attempt to keep from letting the tears in her eyes fall as she turned her head to gently kiss his hand, she struggled to contain her feelings upon gradually seeing the true extend of his injuries. "Oh Jim, I'm so relieved. I-I didn't know if I'd find you alive or not."

"That's not too...not too far off." Giving a low grunt as he let Zara help him sit upright against the metal bars, waiting only a moment to regain his bearing before pulling her into his arms with as much strength as he could manage to hold her close, gently kissing her over and over again just to feel her warm touch. "I thought they'd killed you... When they said the surfer was hit, I-I imagined the worst."

"I made it. Your surfer, not so much."

"Nice." Gritting his teeth as he winced at his efforts to prop himself up a little higher, he released the breath he'd been holding with a low chuckle as he drew a tired hand over his eyes. "Glad I left you in charge."

Taking his hand into hers to move it away from his face, Zarabeth nervously pulled the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow, taking in a small breath upon seeing the long trail of dried cuts left there by what looked like might have been claws. Her discovery frightening her, she sat back a little to look over the rest of him, biting down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling as she spotted several other places where he'd bled or was bleeding through his clothes. "Jim...What'd they do to you?"

"This? Oh, don't worry about me, Zara...Looks worse than it feels." His words punctuated with an unwilling grunt as he winced with the effort to move his arm out of her grasp.

"Somehow, I really don't believe you. Felix...He said he wouldn't let them hurt you."

"Well those guarantees don't exactly apply when Ewen wants information I'm not willing to give."

"Information? On Rhitan?"

Shaking his head as he firmly shut his eyes for a moment, Jim swallowed past the pulsing pain radiating through him, his words broken only by his flinches in response every few moments.

"They just didn't like not knowing where you were trying to go. They knew you were headed...headed to Inyang. They didn't know why. I-I wasn't about to tell them about Silver. Consequently, that was a smart move, Mrs. Hawkins. Well done."

She tried to smile back at him as she lifted up one corner of his shirt, swallowing hard before reaching back into her pack to find something to staunch the bleeding coming from what could have been a laser shot close to his hip. "It would have been...but I didn't make it to Inyang. I still don't quite know what happened except that their shooting must have forced me down before I knew where I was. I woke up on its moon. Morph was with me, but I sent him to go look for Silver. I don't know where he is though. I told him to bring Silver to the ship first. We'll see. But all these people in here? There's more in the stateroom, some down on Rhitan, and another group I sent to warn Genevieve. We're taking back the Aberdeen." Satisfied with her bandage job, she made sure none of his other wounds were still bleeding out before attempting to rise to her feet, stopped by Jim's hand as he reached unknowingly for her bad arm, ignoring the instinct to wince as he got her full attention.

"Zara, listen. They-They're not just after the ship. Guns. Lots of guns. They're down in the hull with the skiffs. They intend...to take them-"

"To Rhitan. I know. It's ok, Jim. That's why some of these people are down there right now trying to warn them. We're not gonna let those boats land, but if they do, there's someone already waiting for them to show."

"Zarabeth?"

The girl turned to see little Tristaf standing in the entrance to Jim's cell, her look calm but with a hint of urgency only in her eyes. "The wounded are good enough. All are out. We should meet with Nomie now with surprise still for us."

"We should leave the worst of the wounded here with weapons until the ship is secured. The last thing we want is a death count."

"I agree. I shall get them weapons."

"Thank you, Tristaf." Turning back to Jim, she reached behind her to pull out the gun she'd taken from him that night before setting it in his hands. "I believe this belongs to you."

"W-Wait, you're not leaving me here, are you? Zara, I can fight."

"Jim, you and I both know that you're in no state to be going against these men. Please. I can't risk losing you."

The boy held fast to her hand as he tried to move closer to her, his efforts mixed with small grunts and flinches in pain. "Zarabeth, please. Don't."

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze before freeing herself from his grip, Zara did her best to smile as she got to her feet, leaving her pack beside him for extra ammunition as she took her own gun in hand. "I can't let them hurt you, not again. Let me do this. I'm here to save you, after all."

He knew there was no further point in arguing with her, it was hopeless to deter her. Nodding in resignation as he leaned back against the cold bars once again, Jim managed to mirror her small smile. "Bates and Donnelly are on deck with two other men, Felix is there too. The rest are below getting the skiffs ready. Taking the ship back will be easier than stopping them from getting to Rhitan."

"Thank you. I'll make sure Donnelly and Bates aren't mistaken for the other smugglers. What...What about Felix?"

After a moment of tense silence, Jim eyes moved to concentrate on the floor at his feet, hands instinctively clenched as much as he could manage. "Forget him. He'll get whatever he deserves."

Nodding without a word, Zarabeth knelt down again to gently take his face into her hands, their eyes locked for hardly any time at all before their lips met once more. She didn't want to leave him. She had to. This was her fight.

Moving to leave as she unwillingly separated from him, Jim's voice stopped her one last time.

"I love you."

"And I love you. I'll be right back, ok?"

Jim watched as the girl made her way through the maze of cells to join the group of armed crew and alien natives by the door, a thought suddenly occurring to him as he tried to sit forward again.

"Zara, Zara wait-"

He leaned back with a pained groan, forcing himself to relax as she disappeared with the rest, climbing up the wooden steps and out of sight.

Those words.

"I'll be right back."

They were the last he thought he'd ever hear from her before.

Not this time.

Not again.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"No, don't kill them. We need them alive to turn over to the officers on Rhitan. We can't stoop to their level."

The facade of Zarabeth's seemingly calm exterior was only betrayed by the slight trembling of her hands as she reached out to stop one of the smugglers from being shot then and there, her eyes scanning the four men they'd captured as they knelt in surrender, hands bound securely behind their backs.

The fight had been over before it'd even started, the overwhelming number of Nomie's people and the rescued crew quickly forcing the brigands into submission.

Halting to stand in front of Felix, Zara couldn't help the pity that began welling up in her heart.

The things that had driven him to this breaking point, perhaps he'd been shoved away from his own destiny. It made her wonder how much would be different if his own heart hadn't hardened against them.

Forcing her eyes back toward the people behind her, Zara knew they had to act quickly. Their timing meant everything. As of now, there was no reason for the rest of the smugglers down below to suspect anything was amiss. They were still flying towards Rhitan.

"Jefferson, Clint, Burton. Pick a cell in the brig to throw these three into and watch over our wounded. We can't leave them unprotected. Gunther, Aston. Please take Mr. Estrada to the Captain's cabin. Lock him up and stay on guard outside. If no one else, we need him to stay unharmed."

"But...But Mrs. Hawkins, he's the reason-"

"Mr. Aston, I know exactly what he's done, what he is, but until his rights to it are revoked, he is an officer of the Royal Navy. Please treat him as such."

"Zarabeth, you don't understand."

Caught off guard by the sound of the first officer's voice, the girl turned to look down at him, taking slow deliberate steps closer as she waited for him to continue. "What don't I understand?"

"You, all of you, we need to leave. Ewen's plan is already in motion. You can't stop him. As soon as those boats leave the Aberdeen, the only thing you should think of is how quickly you can get away from here."

"What makes you so certain his idea will even work?"

"Zarabeth, he's known for stirring up rebellion. He's done it before, on Inyang, Tresslar, he'll try it on Rhitan without a second thought. The capitol isn't as stable as they make you to believe. It will succeed."

"Felix, we won't let that happen. We can't. We will stop Ewen. Aston, Gunther, please." Turning her back to Felix, she bit down hard on her lip to harden her resolve as she listened to him continue to call out to her, his words mixed with fading low growls and desperate curses as he was led back up to the cabin.

Waiting only as long as she needed to be certain that everyone was being taken care of, Zarabeth signaled without a word for the others to follow her, the group silently making their way down into the heart of the ship.

Every electrical sound, every burst of steam or rumbling pipe made Zara instinctively flinch. She didn't know where the whole of the smugglers were, if they were all with the skiffs or milling about the bowels of the Aberdeen. She was only relieved when they'd made it all the way to the release hatches, not a person in sight, but now was the real fight.

Motioning for everyone behind her and Nomie to wait, Zarabeth tried hard to listen through the door separating them from what she assumed was the rest of the smugglers, hearing their voices muffled in conversations one over the other, nothing distinguishable.

Turning back to face Nomie, Zara's voice was barely a whisper so that only she would catch her hushed words. "Signal to your warriors to wait until after we've gone in first. They may not fire right away if they recognize us. We don't want to be the ones to have to shoot first."

"They will not fight as soon as we are inside?"

"Ewen McCoy will not easily give up an opportunity to boast and flout his position. I'm certain we will be safe initially, but we need to be ready at a moment's notice to defend ourselves. It'll buy us some time to assess their numbers, if nothing else. And if a fight does break out, we should try to disable the boats before they can get away. Yes? Ok. We go on three. One. Two."

It didn't fully process until she was actually standing there, gun poised to shoot as she aimed it level to the disfigured face of the smuggler leader, the burst of action pushing herself and those behind her through the doors and into the room only taking mere moments.

The smugglers all stood frozen in place, surprise evident to some degree on every face, alien or human. It was Ewen alone who seemed un-phased by the unannounced intrusion, his permanent smirk as heartless as ever. His head slowly turning this way and that to look over the group standing before him, he made no move as Zara's voice rang unhindered over the walls of the long room.

"Ewen McCoy, you and the whole of those with you are under arrest for kidnapping, hijacking, attempted murder, and treason against the royal family and their rule over this system through Rhitan. Surrender now and all of you will remain unharmed. But we are not inclined to hold back any means of force if you resist."

Zara wasn't entirely sure where the courage to say all of that came from, but she chose not to question it, simply letting her mind simulate whatever Amelia would do or say in this same situation.

Her solid grip on the gun kept her hands from visibly trembling, relieved that her voice was also steady enough to hopefully fool the smuggler into believing that she was in complete confidence of her position.

Without the slightest sign of initial reaction, the room was dead quiet for a few agonizing moments, the sensation all at once broken just as quickly as Ewen's bellowing laugh overtook the silence.

No one knew how to react. Even his own men stared in confusion at him as their guns lowered a little.

"I-I thought it was you, but that getup! Played a little dress-up while you were gone, did ya?"

The smuggler took another moment to catch his breath as his hoarse laughter died down to a low chuckle, his look unchanged aside from the gradual hardening in his eyes. "Oh...Oh sweetheart. You've no idea what you're dealing with. You should have just stayed dead."

"Don't test me, Ewen. I will shoot you here and now. Order your men to stand down."

"Not likely, my dear. Wouldn't look very good for my image if I surrendered to a little whelp of a girl like you."

With a single motion of his hand, the alien man closest to him moved toward one of the three skiffs ready to be launched.

"Lucky for me, I'm a businessman at heart. I always make sure I have a little...insurance on hand."

"Zarabeth!"

The composure she'd managed to keep for so long instantly crumbled as the small form of a boy was dragged out from the bottom of the boat, the gag in his mouth hardly removed before he'd called out to her in desperation.

"W-William?"

"Zarabeth! They're gonna kill-"

His words of warning muffled by the cloth forced back into his mouth, the cabin boy's violent kicking and writhing was met with only a small smirk as he was thrown back between the benches of the skiff.

"You...You vile, lecherous, scum of-"

"Careful, wench. There's a young one in the room. He's gagged not deaf."

"Let him go Ewen! It's over. The ship's ours and Rhitan is being warned of your plan as we speak. There's nowhere for you to go."

"Warned. By who? Not one of the navy dogs. Did you send one of your new friends down instead? Useless move, lass. You really suppose the royal family will listen to a handful of illiterate forest sprites? Their word means nothing. Not to them."

Nomie stepped out from where she'd been standing just behind Zara, her pointed ears folding back a little as she forced her words through her teeth. "Listen you creature. The highest seats will listen to us. They trust our word more than you believe."

The smuggler chuckled low in his throat, his yellowed teeth bared at the alien girl from across the room before turning his attention back to Zarabeth. "You think they care? About you, or them, or any of us? Well you're wrong! They don't pay mind to any of us who're not with them on their all-powerful platform. That's why we have to do this. No else is seeing fit to listen to us low-end scum. So we just gotta be a little louder."

She didn't know what this whole thing was accomplishing, the situation leaving Zarabeth desperately hoping for some idea to occur to her as she continued to speak up against him.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ewen. The only way you gain from civil war would be to fill your own pockets. No one believes for one second that you have even an ounce of pride left in that gargoyle form you call yours. Nothing you ever do is for anyone but yourself."

"Oh-ho! Hear that gentlemen?" His demeanor unchanged, the smuggler turned to the men standing poised around him, casually still motioning over at Zara with the barrel of his pistol. "This little spitfire just called me a liar. Am I? No? Then she's the one lying. What do we do to liars, cheats...stubborn girls?"

Zarabeth's knuckles went white with the pressure on her fingers as she clenched them around the gun, poised to pull the trigger the instant it was needed, the stagnant air separating the two parties now overwhelmingly tense in the momentary pause.

"Have at it, boys."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Zarabeth ducked behind one of the larger support beams, narrowly escaping the pulse of purple laser that flashed just inches from her face. Swallowing hard in an attempt to catch her breath, it was difficult to keep her mind focused as the room rang loud with the clamor of unchecked fighting. She'd done her best to aim low with her pistol, wanting more to disable than to kill those who came at her, but she knew they were quickly running out of time.

Peeking cautiously around the corner, Zara was just in time to see a few of Nomie's warriors along with some of the Aberdeen's own all but completely destroy one of the boats about ready to be launched, the craft falling away into the atmosphere beneath, splintered wood, engine pieces, weapons and all.

Reacting instantly, Zarabeth managed to pull the trigger beneath her finger as one of the smugglers came at her from the left, the girl managing to catch him in the leg, forcing him to the ground just long enough for her to kick his gun far out of reach.

She wasn't entirely sure how she was still standing, her legs trembling terribly beneath her, the almost painful racing of her heart reminding her to keep moving for fear of the slightest distraction finishing her completely.

It wasn't difficult to tell that Ewen's men were far outmatched in skill, despite their numbers, their injured or critically wounded forms gradually littering the floor of the room one after another. Still they fought on, desperately urged forward by the demanding orders of their leader as he stayed uselessly cowering in the shadows.

Fighting her way across the room, Zarabeth did her best to stay light on her feet, attempting to avoid the hands which desperately fought to take hold of her from where the men lay injured all around. Clearing the living maze enough to get to her purposed destination, Zara's trembling hands clung to the wooden rail of the small boat, leaning in over the gap between floor and skiff only for as far as she could still keep her balance.

"William! William look at me! I need you to move as close to me as you can!" Looking hurriedly about her to confirm that no one had yet noticed her presence, Zara couldn't help how she held her breath in terrified anticipation, knowing how critical each moment was. "Come on, almost there. Just a little closer-"

Zarabeth's hand clenched tightly on the wood beneath her fingers, fighting back the urge to let go as her arm screamed at her in gradually heightening pain, her good arm extended as far as she could humanly reach in an attempt to grab hold of the cabin boy. She had to stay concentrated, nothing but the atmosphere alone to meet her feet if she lost her balance even a little. She knew her arms wouldn't be able to hold her.

The look in the boy's eyes was as equally frantic as Zara's, his efforts to move closer to her greatly impaired by his bound limbs, but he managed to move none the less, motivated only by the thought of what would happen if he couldn't reach her.

Zarabeth tried and tried again to bury the realization that she had no real way of getting him back onto solid ground while still keeping her own footing, not with the way the boat was already sporadically shifting and jerking beneath her hand. It wasn't until he'd finally gotten close enough that she surrendered herself to the reality of the situation. She had to do it.

The sharp breath Zara took in at the biting pain in her arm was quickly lost to her as she fell hard into the bottom of the skiff, only a small groan escaping her already parted lips as she fought to regain clarity. She had to act quickly.

The fearful eyes staring back up at her were filled with the same realization of how this was going to end one way or another, the boy hurriedly shaking his head as he tried to object.

Her trembling fingers made quick work of the boy's gag, her next course of action to free his arms and legs, though easier said than done without the aid of any sort of weapon to cut through his bonds.

"Zarabeth, no, we don't have time-"

"William, I'm getting you out of here."

"Mrs. Hawkins, please, listen to me! You need to-"

"Duck!" Pulling her head down with William's, the random shot fired in their direction hit the opposite wall with a loud 'crack' and the unmistakable smell of smoldering wood.

"Stop! Forget the ropes! If you're gonna try to save me, just throw me off the boat!"

"William, I can't! If I miss, I'll be tossing you clean off this ship. I can't throw you."

It was the gradual return of red which caught the boy's eye, the renewed bleeding of the girl's arm now painfully obvious through the frayed strips of cloth keeping it only somewhat in check.

"You have to leave me. They won't do anything to me if you go now."

"William, no. I can't do that."

"They'll kill you! Think of Captain!"

"And I'm thinking of your mother! Now hold still."

Her efforts to undo the knots confining the boy's hands and feet were getting her nowhere. The harder she tried, the less her fingers were able to keep a steady hold on the ropes. It wasn't going to work. Not like this.

"Hang tight, William. We're going out another way."

"W-Wait, what?"

This was crazy. This would be disastrous if it didn't work. This had better work. Just think of Jim.

The thoughts running unchecked through Zarabeth's mind were the only things to cheer her onward, the desperation of the moment driving her to the only logical plan of action she could think up.

Looking about the room once more, she was relieved to see that the majority of the fighting was revolving around the third skiff on the far side of the room. This was her only chance to attempt this.

Situating herself in the back of the small boat, Zara was instantly wracking her brain to remember and accurately emulate what she'd watched Jim do time and time again. Her trembling fingers somehow found the proper buttons to press and settings to adjust, the sound of the engine beginning its revival to full power almost too loud for comfort as she waited for the levels to get high enough to act upon.

Zarabeth took a deep breath to calm herself as her hands carefully took hold of the steering handles on either side of her, swallowing down her fear as she pulled hard in order to force them out of the release hatch. She was going to fly them out herself.

'Click'. The entire boat jolted up as the cable supporting the skiff refused to give way.

Her heart skipping a beat in renewed frantic adrenaline, Zarabeth tried and tried again to forcibly pull the boat off of the cable, but the skiff wasn't willing to budge. Those controls were all the way at the back of the room. There was no way to reach them.

Leaving only one of her hands to remain on the steering, Zara raised her pistol once more in desperation, carefully taking a few seconds to aim at the suspension cable in order to be certain that she'd hit her target. For in the moment she would succeed, she and William would instantly drop away from the Aberdeen and into the stardust below. She needed to be ready for that.

"Look out!"

William's words of warning seemed so distant, the smack of wood and Zarabeth's sharp gasp in pain the loudest sounds in her ears, her body tossed aside like a useless doll against the skiff's far rail. Her vision flashed white with the shooting pain radiating through her shoulder as she caught it hard against the planking. Hardly able to feel her wrist, she frantically tried to force herself upright, her efforts met with another firm blow to her good arm, leaving her lying helplessly stunned between two of the benches in the bottom of the boat.

"Get a move on, ya scum! No, leave them! They're as good as dead! Just pick a boat and let's go!"

Ignoring the pulsing in her arm, Zara desperately reached for the gun that had been knocked from her hands, her fingers just barely wrapping about the cold metal of the barrel before a booted foot forced her to stop, the weight of Ewen's step on her bad wrist forcing a sharp cry from her already parted lips. She instinctively tried to pull her arm out from under his boot, but couldn't deny how much more it hurt to do so, her attempts subdued within moments before the man's violent grasp found her throat.

No manner of kicking or clawing was seeing fit to help free her, Zarabeth's body already too weak and exhausted to do much, his hand pulling her to her knees in front of the smuggler before it threw her back towards the front of the skiff with almost no effort.

Zara instantly braced herself to hit the wooden bench behind her, but instead landed in a heap with the other brigands, the men wholly unsure of what to do with her as they looked up in confusion at their leader.

"Don't just stand there like a pack of daft bots! Tie her up! She's good for anyone that tries following. We're late as it is, so get! Any more stowaways, you blow off the edge!"

Anything Zara had been prepared to say in defiance was suddenly lost to her mind as the rush of air came back to her with the single moment of breaking away from the ship, her hope of getting her and William back into safety fading away as the Aberdeen quickly grew smaller and smaller above them.

She didn't fight back when they bound her hands behind her, Zarabeth's only reaction being a few silent winces whenever her arm was pulled or pushed where she didn't want it to go.

Within seconds, the other remaining skiff made its departure after them, both boats filled with close to a dozen of the smugglers, alien and human alike, the possibility of civil war carried with them as they sped their way down toward Rhitan.

They'd failed.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

"She did what?!"

"Jim, no, don't get up. You've lost too much blood to be waltzing around."

"Gen, I have to go after them. They-They're gonna kill her..."

The despairing anger flaring in Jim's eyes but moments ago faded with his words as his look grew distant.

"I...I let her go."

"Jim, listen to me. You didn't do this. She chose to fight with everyone else. I'm sure she had no intention of being taken hostage...again. We're going to get her back."

Genevieve was doing everything she could to keep Jim from even sitting upright, her ship's medic busily stitching him up as best he could.

She and her crew had been only minutes too late to stopping the smugglers from escaping the Aberdeen, her own crew quickly able to help secure the ship, throwing the remaining wounded of the brigands into their respective cells down below.

"Captain Hawkins, please try to hold still. I need to clean and treat your other injuries before we can even think about moving you. This will take time."

"Time...Time is exactly what we don't have right now. Zarabeth is out there with that-that hobgoblin and his maggots and I'm stuck lying here like a useless old shirt while Doctor Dan here stitches me up. N-No offense Daniel."

"None taken." The medic chuckled low as he smiled casually, his practiced hands steadily working to sew up one of the larger open cuts on Jim's arm.

"Jim, we'll start searching the moment we land. I promise. I want her back too, ya know." She could only manage her smile for so long, her imagination left to picture the worst at the though of Zarabeth's predicament, but she had to stay strong for Jim's sake. She couldn't let him see how truly afraid she was beneath her relatively calm exterior.

"Gen, I have to go with you. I have to see for myself that she's safe."

"Jim, the only place you're headed for is the nearest hospital. You heard it yourself, much longer like this and you might not have had any hope of surviving at all. We can't very well take that kind of chance with you again, not when we can be certain of ensuring your recovery if we act now. That nasty infection of yours isn't about to just go away. Zara would want you to do this."

"If Zara was here to tell me so herself, I wouldn't be questioning it in the first place." Jim's instinctive attempt to prop himself up was forgotten nearly as quickly as he'd tried, a sharp breath coupled with a small groan, the instantly amounting pain the only convincing he needed to lay back down.

"You know what I mean." Moving to the side table beside the medical platform, Genevieve rung out a rag that had been soaking there idly before carefully clearing the boy's forehead of the feverish sweat covering it, her tone gradually becoming more forceful to emphasize her point. "Jim, there's no point in fighting it. The moment we dock is the moment we ship you off to the emergency room, and that's final."

About to reply, the boy's attempt was cut short with his efforts to keep from making a sound as the medic began to clean the infected wound on his hip, only managing to speak after he was certain of being able to manage an even tone again. "At least...At least let me wait till I'm certain she's safe. I won't let them take me in until I know. Please, Gen. Wouldn't you want to know if it were Cane?"

The door behind Genevieve opened on silent hinges, a feline man in an officer's uniform dipping his head in respect before closing it behind him. "Captain? We just received word from the men we sent down to Rhitan."

Quickly turning to completely face him, the golden tresses of Genevieve's hair fell idly over her shoulders, her look hopeful yet with caution in her tone. "Good news, I hope?"

"They've confirmed that the tribal men were able to get through to the officers of the royal family. They believed them. Right now they're taking as many precautions as are possible, though with a perimeter to maintain of this size, it's proving difficult. That's the good news. The bad news is that we think McCoy and his men have landed. We just don't know where or in what district they intend to close this deal we've been anticipating."

"They-They could be anywhere by now. Anywhere in the city. Zara could be-"

"Jim don't. Don't even think about it. I told you, we're going to find her. How soon can we land?"

"Not longer than an hour's half more."

"Thank you Mr. Jameson. Continue our course for the port at full speed. We dock first, then we worry about tracking down those terrorists."

Once again left with only the medic, Genevieve surrendered a long breath in worn out frustration as she moved to sit on the edge of the small medical platform beside Jim. She watched without a word as his expression remained nearly unreadable, now devoid of even pain as the man continued to put to right the overwhelming evidence of his recent abuse.

For a long while, silence was the loudest sound in the room aside from the generally low clicking of the medical tools, both Jim and Genevieve's minds too heavy with worry to break the invisible barrier.

Unsure of when the right moment to speak would be, Genevieve respected the quiet between them until the surprise of Jim's cold touch against her own trembling hand brought her back into awareness.

"Jim?"

He stared blankly at the wooden ceiling above them, his grip on the girl's hand surprisingly steadfast for how weak he still was. For a few more tense moments, he didn't move to say what was obviously plaguing his mind.

Jim swallowed hard in an attempt to get his already forced words past the growing lump in his throat, unsure of what he was even trying to say as he slowly began to empty his flooded thoughts.

"Gen, we've been through so much, me and Zarabeth. All these years and I...I can still remember what she looked like the first day I saw her."

"Really? That was a long time ago now. You were both eighteen, weren't you?"

"Yeah, crazy isn't it? Ok, well maybe I can't remember exactly, but she was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that's in a girl's voice or a look in her eyes, not just pretty for the sake of pretty."

His soft smile melted away with the returning dullness in his crystal gaze, his eyes moving back up to concentrate on some knot in the wood high above him.

"We've been in danger from the moment we met. Pirates. Hormonal skin-changers. More pirates. But...somehow, we've always come out alright. I was always there to try to fight my way out, for both of us. The one time I didn't even have a stitch of control to save her, that summer she got sick, I could only sit by and hold her hand. I mean, she almost died. And I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I'd never felt so helpless. Except now. I...I vowed to protect her. I was supposed to keep her safe."

"Jim..."

Shifting so she could better face him, the girl's hand shook a little under his, unable to imagine how hard this was for him. If she was in his place, if it was Cane's life that hung in the balance, she knew her thoughts would be just the same. But it wasn't only Zarabeth's situation that was precarious.

Jim had told her and her medic of how the men had practically tortured him for information they never got, that the wound on his hip was Ewen's parting gift before he'd been thrown back into the brig. He'd lost too much blood. He hadn't the means to treat the wound himself, the untended problem breaking out in an infection which could have very well cost him his life.

Genevieve knew how badly he wished to stay in the hopes of learning of Zarabeth's safety, but she had to think of his own since he wasn't about to do it. No matter what he said, she knew he had to be taken care of first. He had to let her worry about finding Zara.

A short series of knocks from just outside the door stopped even the medic mid-motion as they watched one of the lesser-ranked spacers poke his head just inside the door's frame, his look almost sheepishly apologetic upon seeing the group inside.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But you're needed on deck. We're preparing for our docking sequence here shortly."

"Thank you, Jason. I'll be right out."

Waiting until he'd retreated back behind the wooden door, Genevieve released a fatigued sigh to urge herself forward, unwillingly getting back to her feet before instinctively straightening the front of her uniform jacket, one of her hands still in Jim's grasp.

"I'll send word to the hospital the moment we hear anything of Zarabeth. One of my men will be waiting for you when they've finished putting you back together.

Jim released a trembling breath as he pulled his arm to rest over his closed eyes, his other hand feebly surrendering Genevieve's with a small nod in resignation.

For a short while, no one said a word, the quiet neither awkward nor a comfort, but simply utter silence until Jim's soft words somehow managed to be heard.

"Gen...Just promise me you'll find her. You'll make sure she's ok."

Her eyes dropping to concentrate on her boots, the girl replaced her captain's hat before managing her equally quiet reply, giving her medic a small smile in thanks as she stepped out.

"I promise. You will see her again."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"Hey, get her up. We're here."

The sounds of orders being relayed between the skiffs grew louder in Zarabeth's ears as her mind was brought back into full consciousness. Exhaustion had pulled her into unwilling sleep as they flew toward Rhitan's surface, the distance considerably more time consuming to tackle with how much smaller the boats' power outputs were than the Aberdeen's.

Rough hands shook the girl completely awake, their hold on her good arm gentle yet firm as she was given mere moments to collect herself before she was half urged half tossed off the side of the boat and into the waiting arms of another smuggler down below. The alien man knew without prompting to put Zara down as quickly as he'd caught her, not giving the girl enough time to throw some icy remark his way.

Without the use of her hands, the girl threw her head to the side a few times in her attempt to get her unruly hair out of her face, the approaching presence of Ewen catching her peripheral vision as she straightened up to face him, subtle defiance clearly shining in her eyes as she stood there without a word.

"Sleep well, lass? That's nice. If you slow us down or decide to just up and stop moving at any time, I will tear that arm of yours back open. Understand?"

Zarabeth could only swallow hard as her look remained emotionless, knowing that his act of re-bandaging her arm had been the only sentiment of the like she could expect to be shown.

"Good. Now let's get a move on boys. They'll be waiting for us."

The pack of unkempt men followed behind their leader, those set to guard over Zara and William positioned somewhere in the middle of everything. Ewen wasn't about to give either of them any chance of escape. Not again.

The mass of the company waxed and waned in size as they passed through the endlessly changing atmosphere of the slums they suddenly found themselves entering. Houses precariously constructed as though stacked together under the guidance of a toddler loomed on either side of Zarabeth's gaze, her instinct only of shrinking back as though one was destined to come toppling down atop them at any time.

Their pace was steady but still too rushed for Zarabeth to keep up with, her breathing quickly becoming a laborious task as her heart pounded painfully in her throat. The grip holding fast to her arm only tightened as if the sheer force of the man's hand would be enough to keep dragging her along at the same speed as the others.

She mostly feared for her legs, her knees already weak from fatigue, but just sore in general from the treatment her body had been forced to endure over the course of the days preceding. She had to keep moving. Nothing but more pain awaited her if she were to be caught falling behind the others.

"Ma'am please."

Zara instinctively stiffened at the feeling of her guard's breath hot against her ear. At least the majority of the brigands had the good sense to treat her with some semblance of respect.

"We have to hurry. McCoy won't like it one bit if ever he looks back here."

She didn't trust herself to answer, her every breath a luxury she could not needlessly waste as she simply nodded in reply, wanting him to know that she did fully understand, though her own ability to take action upon that knowledge was unlikely.

The fear that had been gradually welling inside Zarabeth came to its peak as her feet barely caught her from tumbling to the rough pavement beneath, her vision blurred and strained with her growing panic as she found herself tasting metal.

"Oh no..."

Barely managing to utter her fearful words, Zarabeth's throat felt so tight as though threatening to shut itself off completely. There was no stopping it.

Without a second thought, Zara halted completely, tearing her arm from the man's hand before taking the few frantic steps she needed to get into an alleyway. She made it perfectly clear that escape was not her intention when she dropped to her knees, the taste of bile filling her mouth as she unwillingly let herself be sick then and there.

Zarabeth blocked out the angry voices behind her as the procession came to a hurried stop, Ewen's voice shrilly calling above the rest as he forced himself through the mass of bodies filling the tight space of the makeshift road.

Relief was the only thing worth feeling at the moment, short lived though she knew it would be, she did feel better now, the girl giving a few short coughs to completely rid herself of as much of the horrid taste as she could manage.

"Ewen wait a minute. She's sick alright? We can't keep pushing her like this."

Looking over her shoulder, her eyes still cloudy and dazed, Zarabeth flinched upon seeing the smuggler catch her guard hard in the jaw, the man left sprawled against the paving stones without a hand to help him up as all eyes shifted to where Zara knelt, her body still trembling terribly.

Ewen's footfall was too loud in her ears the closer he came, the girl instinctively trying to squirm away from his hold yet knowing full well that she couldn't escape his violent hands as they yanked her back to her feet.

There was no strength left in her legs, the only thing stopping her from joining her guard on the ground being her captor's meaty grip as it surrounded both of her arms. All of what was left of Zara's strength was suddenly rerouted to keep from crying out at how much pressure he was placing on her injured arm.

Even the scent of her own breath was far sweeter than the intoxicated rotting stench of the smugglers lengthy sigh, his words seemingly calm, but the piercing look in his eyes proved otherwise.

"Mrs. Hawkins...Not feeling well? How unfortunate for you. A real knack for timing, you've got. Why don't you just try escaping again while you're at it? Or-Or better yet, here's my knife. Choose carefully where you stick it."

His last words were emphasized with Zara's sharp cry as she was thrown back to the uneven ground, the girl's pained groan muffled as she bit down hard on her lip with her effort to roll off of her bad arm.

She knew better than to say anything, forcing herself to keep her heated remarks and blunt insults to herself for fear of what it would mean to continue stoking Ewen's ever-burning temper.

"Mark me girl, I keep you alive for insurance sake only. You're a blockade for if ever your cowardly husband or his goons show up to spoil it. Anything past that, you're dead to me. So go ahead! Puke your guts out for all I care! Just keep that little heart of yours beating till we close this deal! Am I clear, darlin'?"

Dropping her eyes away from his, Zarabeth nodded once in reply, gritting her teeth to keep from saying even a word as she moved her head in an attempt to wipe her mouth on her shoulder, already feeling dirty as it was without that to add to it.

"What're you all gaping at? Get back in order! You, Fenkley, get your sorry rear off the ground before I decide to knock you out cold this time. I don't care if she's ready or not! Throw her over your shoulder if you have to! Just move it!"

The man who had been guarding her before gently helped Zarabeth back to her feet, the girl whispering her apology upon seeing the already forming bruise encircling his swelling eye.

"Ah, don't worry none over me, ma'am. He's done worse on far less than this. We're all quick healers."

Cringing at the presence of his hand on her throbbing arm as her attempt to walk on her own nearly brought her to the ground once more, Zara was thankful for his help none the less. "You spoke up for me. Why?" She was genuinely stumped by his behavior toward her. The other men had been falsely chivalrous at best, all in the attempts to get her guard down she'd guessed. But this one, Fenkley, he was the only one to treat her with what she saw as genuine concern.

The human man smiled in what appeared to be near embarrassment, moving the hand that supported her back enough to ruffle his somewhat blond hair back into shape. "You're a victim ma'am. No matter what the others may try to say, we're no murderers, at least, most of us aren't. A few have their stories, but we don't exactly follow Ewen for the luxury of it." Looking up at the recognition of Ewen's attention from a ways in front of them, the man made his way back into the thick of the throng before continuing. "I've a wife and two wee girls to think on. Smuggling's a fair amount of money as far as trades go on Inyang. It's only until I can have enough to get them all away, maybe off to some mining planet or trade port. I'm just sorry it's all come to this. It was meant to be an easy job."

Zara looked over the crowd of heads to see the brigand leader spewing curse after threat at one of the alien men, the guilty party on the ground scrambling to retrieve the guns and clips that had torn through the bag he'd been carrying. She felt safe enough to say what was on her mind, knowing how Ewen would be too busy for the next moments to get wind of anything she were to tell her captor now.

"Fenkley, was it? I want you to promise me something. It may not happen, but if my husband's crew or Rhitan's officers catch up to us, which I still can only hope they do, I want you to run. Yes, run. Abandon these men who probably care no more for you than you do of them and see your daughters again. There will be no escape if you stay and fight."

"You're wasting your breath, Mrs. Hawkins. McCoy has ensured that there will be no rescue for you, hopeful though you may try to be. But, if it will get that pitiful look out of your eyes, yes that look, then I promise. I'll do my best to get home. I always do."

"What are their names?"

"Chrissy and Andromeda. You got any children, ma'am?"

Zara shook her head with a small laugh despite their situation. "No, not yet. Jim and I have only been married a year."

"I'm truly sorry for that. We should learn to only kidnap unmarried miserable girls I suppose."

"Yes...I suppose you should."

"Will you promise me something, Mrs. Hawkins? I'll keep quiet about it if you do."

Nodding her silent consent, Zara did her best not to squirm away as his face drew close to hers again, the man's voice lowered so as to only be heard by her, even with the general cover of Ewen's ranting.

"If this whole thing goes south, I'll set you free to sneak off with me. No, not like that. Sorry. No, all I'm saying is that we both want to see our families again. We can help each other. I'll untie you and let you off if you don't squeal about me to the higher-ups. Are we agreed?"

"Readily so. I don't expect to get a chance, but if there is, I'm counting on you."

"Same here, ma'am."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The sharp pounding of a fist against wood made Zarabeth flinch, every sound a surprise to her ears since she was currently left to the darkness which the cloth tied over her eyes afforded.

She fidgeted in the momentary lull of the situation, knowing it would do her no good, but still trying to adjust the wadded fabric stuck in her mouth, most of her conscious efforts focused on not gagging at its ghastly taste.

Ewen had had enough of what he'd so affectionately called her "twisted spitfire tongue", the smuggler more than convinced that she'd put some spell over her guard to get him to act the way he had. He figured that if he merely impaired her sight, she'd speak all the more. But if she had neither sense at her disposal, he thought everyone would finally only see her as nothing but the dead weight leverage that he fervently believed she was.

Zara started in surprise as a hand was laid against her good arm, whoever it was leading her into what she could only guess was some structure or another, the sound of the paving stones beneath her feet now replaced by the scuff of unstable wood as the smell of heavy dust overwhelmed her senses.

Low conversation filled the space around her, a few in languages she did not recognize. There couldn't have been more than a dozen as their company of nearly twice that many made their way inside. The general noise didn't quiet down as soon as they were all assembled. It only grew, if nothing else, the smuggler band's presence having not the authoritative effect Zara had guessed they were hoping for.

"Well bless ma brass buckles! McCoy! I'tis you!"

The voice rising above the rest caused the room to instantly fall into silence, the sound of it too familiar to Zarabeth's ears to be mistaken for that of anyone else.

She instinctively attempted to call out to him, the wad of cloth muffling her words to barely audible grunts before the hand on her arm tightened painfully in warning.

From somewhere to her right, Ewen could be heard stepping forward, his voice unmistakably displeased.

"I hardly expected to see you here, Long John. For what do we owe this momentous surprise?"

"Well, I heard tell of a gatherin' goin' on round here. Sounded like I'd be hard pressed a fool to miss such a t'ing. Seems I was right."

"This has nothing to do with you, cyborg."

"Oh now, wait just a minute t'ere. I do believe it's got everyt'ing ta do wit' me. I know what it is you're tryin' to get done here, and I only ask that ya reconsiders it."

"Why in the blue blazes would I ever do that?"

"I'm sorry Ewen. Where in Etherium's name are me manners? Here, sit. I'll pour ya somethin' cold. Whiskey suit ya? Good, 'cause t'ats all I got."

Zarabeth tried to keep breathing calmly, unable to help how she still flinched at the scraping sound of a chair being pulled out, followed by what seemed like Ewen's hesitant steps toward the seat offered to him.

She wanted so badly to just break away from the hand restraining her, to run to Silver, to feel safe again, but she knew that that was the last thing she could do.

The high pitched clinking of glass resounded through the stiff silence of the room, followed by the low exhaling of two men satisfied with their drink. This unceremonious ritual went on a few more times before Silver cleared his throat, his tone low yet casual as though speaking in confidence with an old friend.

"Listen, Ewen. I understands what yer doin' here, but rebellion ain't all it's cracked up ta be. Civil war, in this system's capitol no less, it's just downright bad for business."

"Not the way I see it. Rebels can't fight without something to shoot with. We have more than our fair shares of weaponry and ammunition. We've just brought enough to give these unhappy people a generous shove in the right direction."

"T'is just business then, not patriotism. Ewen, sentiments like t'ose get sought out more quickly than ya might guess. Supply an' demand is a funny t'ing. Who says you'll come out of all this unscathed. Hmm?"

"I perfectly understand the risks, Johnny boy. You just watch your step before you get squashed in the fray. My business is with Gantry, not you. So where is he?"

"Oh, you needn't worry there. I sent t'e man off before ya got here. Ya see, McCoy, business isn't about honoring deals. It's 'bout the highest bidder, and that'd be me. You're not t'e only man wit' connections an' fancy guns."

All at once, the room was echoing with the sound of one gun being cocked after another, the chair hosting Ewen scraping sharply against the floor as he abruptly stood, anger fuming from every syllable.

"What did you do?"

Despite the venom in the smuggler's voice, Silver's casual tone remained unchanged.

"Oh, now don't be rash, Ewen. All I'm sayin' is dat you've gotta go back to Inyang now. No point in stirrin' up a fight when t'ere's not gonna be one. Okay? I talked it over wit' Gantry an' he agrees wit' me. Ewen, each an' every one of t'ese people will die if t'is moves forward. They're no match for the likes of Rhitan's forces, no matter how determined. You'd be waitin' on the business of dead men."

The second chair moved back as Silver stood to face Ewen better, his low grunting like that of a tired old man as he finished his thought without any mind. "Dead men can't pay."

"They don't talk either."

Zara didn't need to see to understand that Silver was now most likely staring down the barrel of a gun.

"McCoy, I never had ya pegged as one for dramatics, but that sounded pretty near rehearsed."

"You can't joke your way out of this, Silver. The only way you're leaving here is feet first flat on that gargoyle face of yours."

"Ya wanna talk faces? Yer mug's enough ta make a grown man sick, if ya ask me."

"Well I didn't ask. If you know what's good for you, cyborg, you'll stay put till I can fix the mess you've made for me. I'm going to find Gantry myself."

"Hold it there, ya blighter. I never said ya could leave. Gentlemen, t'e door if you please? Thank ya. Rhitan's forces are on t'eir way as we be speakin' and it's bad manners ta leave a party early."

"You treacherous-"

"Now, now. I wouldn't be talkin' treason if I was you. Not since yer bound to be hangin' for dat there very reason. Ya got me?"

"If I do, I won't be hanging alone. I'll see to that."

"I do believe them's fightin' words."

"Perceptive old man."

"Old man? Hah! I may be rusty, but I'm far from anything but dat. Boys? Restrain t'e guests. We needs ta make certain they stay put till our friends arrive ta take 'em."

The room simultaneously erupted with the sounds of scuffling, cursing, and a gunshot every few moments to make Zarabeth drop to the ground in paralyzing fear, her inability to see heightening her senses almost more than she could bare.

She tried to move away from where she had curled up, her bound hands forcing her to scoot over the uneven flooring like a limbless creature as she headed for what she hoped was a safer corner of the room.

Her sounds in terror were lost to the gag crammed in her mouth as the undeniable weight of someone landed hard on her legs, her efforts to pull herself out from underneath the presence of the person getting her nowhere. He was most certainly dead. No amount of kicking or struggling was doing anything for Zara, the thought of being hit in the chaos around her the only thing to keep her trying.

Lost in her own desperation to get free, Zarabeth didn't notice how the clatter of fighting resounding through the room slowly died away until the heavy fall of two feet planted themselves right beside her face. She paused in her reckless struggling to look up, realizing as soon as she had done so that it was a useless act with her eyes still tightly covered. Her entire body shook with the adrenaline coursing through her, the tense quiet around her only broken by the muffled objections of what she assumed to be some brigand or another far behind her.

She shrunk back with an instinctively soft whimper as a hand, more gentle than she expected, was laid on her back, unable to think of anything else as the wad of cloth trapped in her mouth was removed followed by the one tied over her eyes.

"Silver!"

"Zara, lass. What in Etherium's name are ya doin' 'ere?"

She didn't care how her arm stung as she tightly hugged the cyborg the moment he'd freed her bound wrists, the girl burying her face against his chest in sheer relief. "I...I didn't know if Morph found you. I thought you wouldn't get here in time. Jim, he was-"

"I know lass. It's alright. I sent Morphy back ta Jimbo soon as I got 'ere. Yer friend, that one girl, she an' her crew were wit' him last I knew."

"Genevieve made it to him? That's a relief. W-William. Is he-"

"Calm yerself, Zara. The lad ya mean? Look, he's right over t'ere safe an' sound."

Turning her head this way and that, Zarabeth was finally able to make sense of her surroundings. The room was more extensive than she'd pictured, though with ceilings hardly reaching taller than Silver stood, the peeling paint covering the walls a musty brown color to match that of the rotting wood floor beneath her. As she'd guessed, Silver's men had nearly been outnumbered, but most of Ewen's crew who weren't already lying strewn across the floor were securely bound and gagged in a fashion even more confining than what they'd inflicted upon her, the fortunate stragglers who remained untied still securely restrained.

Scanning the faces of the brigands, Zara recognized almost each and every one of them, giving a small start at the icy gaze she met upon catching sight of Ewen, unable to tell who the look was directed at, her or Silver. Regardless of whomever it was meant for, it still made her squirm uncomfortably.

Zara managed to look away as she huddled against Silver once more, feeling truly safe for the first time since the attack those short nights ago. Everything had fallen apart so quickly. How did it come to this?

Silver seemed equally content to simply hold the trembling girl in his arms, smiling to himself as he timidly ran his hand through her tangled hair.

"Alrigh' gentlemen. That'd be all. I'll be seein' yous next week, eh? Good lads. T'anks a million."

Zara watched as the men who had come with Silver piled Ewen's men against one side of the room, taking final measures to secure them before each one in his own time left the small building with only a small nod in recognition toward the cyborg.

It was so quiet now.

For a long time, neither he nor Zarabeth spoke, but it was Silver who hesitantly broke the silence between them, trying to look her over as he carefully watched for her reaction.

"Zara, they...did they hurt ya? Are ya truly alright?"

Smiling softly up at him in response to his concern, she shook her head slowly as she closed her eyes with his gentle touch against the bruise that had formed over her cheek. "Nothing that can't heal on its own. Don't worry about me, I'll live."

Taking another moment to stay quiet before looking around again, Zara couldn't help her curiosity as she managed to sit upright on her own.

"Silver, those people who came with you, they're yours? Like your crew?"

"Oh, no lass, not'in' like dat. I only wanted Ewen ta think so. T'ose folks are t'e gentlemen I play cards wit' each weekend. Told 'em I'd buy their drink for the next two if t'ey came wit' me ta do this. Worked right well if I do say so."

"I guess I'd have to agree. Had me fooled. And you're ok? Inyang's treating you well?"

"Only as ta be expected. Better den Tresslar ever did."

"Easy enough."

Zara felt so relaxed in these moments of peace, her mind unknowingly ignoring something far worse than what they'd just overcome until the distant sound of feet fast approaching from outside brought her mind back into frantic awareness.

"Silver, what are we doing? You have to get out of here! You said the officers are coming-"

"They're already here lass."

"Don't just sit there! Silver you have to run! If they catch you-"

"Sit down, Zarabeth. Yer in no state for anymore excitement. No, lass. T'ere's no reason ta try anyt'ing now."

"You...You've been running for all these years, and you choose now to just sit here? Silver, go!"

The cyborg gently laid his hands on either of the girl's shoulders, his look far too understanding and calm for the circumstances, his words soft like those of a father instructing a child.

"Zara, I can't leave ya here alone. T'ose men out t'ere are gonna wonder how this came about. An' I know you. You do everyt'ing in yer power ta keep from talkin' of me. I love ya for dat. But lass, it won't be good 'nough for 'em. I has ta stay. And yer right. I have been runnin' a long time. Too long, lass."

It was all Zarabeth could do to keep the tears forming in her eyes from falling, releasing her trembling breath as her grip tightened around the handfuls of his shirt she'd been holding to so desperately. She couldn't help how she tried to argue back, her words barely audible with her efforts to keep from breaking down completely.

"Silver, please...Don't do this to us...to me and Jim. You have to keep fighting."

She had only seen that sad smile once before on him, the despairing look of a man saying goodbye, probably for the last time.

The tears Zara had tried so hard to stop made their way over her dirt smeared cheeks as she firmly shut her eyes, leaning into the cyborg's hand as his thumb gently cleared away the wet trails left across her painted face.

"Zarabeth, t'is is my last fight. An' as far as I be concerned, I won it too."

He stopped her head's relentless shaking in denial of it with his small kiss against her forehead, the touch of his hands on her cheeks the last thing Zara clearly understood as the sound of splintering wood, echoing orders, and the heavy tread of boots against the floor rang in her ears. Hands too rough for their own good tore her from Silver as he was half led half dragged away from her back into the open streets, the cyborg's gaze never once leaving hers until he was completely out of sight.

She couldn't move.

She couldn't speak.

The words of others around her asking hurried question after question fell on deaf ears as she sat there in complete loss, staring out at nothing as a single thought, sickening and terrible, incessantly ran through her shattered mind, a thought which left her feeling all but paralyzed beneath its weight.

They were going to kill Silver.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Zarabeth took in a small breath with the hand laid gently against her shoulder, the hesitant touch enough to wake the girl from her light sleep. She sat up with a low groan as she ran her good hand over the back of her stiffened neck, her reward for sleeping hunched over the hospital bed she was sitting alongside. The room was bright around her, forcing Zara to squint until her eyes were able to adjust to its light as the airy voice of a woman beside her caught her drifting attention.

"Mrs. Hawkins? Your husband is waking."

Her mind finally clear enough to completely comprehend where she was, Zarabeth sat up completely as her hand instinctively tightened a little around Jim's, surprised when the boy responded with his own light squeeze in return.

She hurriedly moved out of the chair to sit on the very edge of the bed beside him, her smile soft and obviously filled with relief as she watched Jim's gaze slowly meet hers. "Hey lazy bones. Thought you could sleep all day?"

"You washed your face." Jim's hoarse response was accompanied by his low chuckle as he managed the effort it took to look about him. "How...How long was I out?"

"You were still in surgery when I got here, so it's only been a few hours. You're alright. Those smugglers didn't tear you apart completely."

"Your infections were severe, Captain, but nothing me couldn't treat. You came to us in time."

The nurse who'd woken Zarabeth now moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed from her, the alien woman very tall and overly slender with skin and close cut hair pale white to contrast with her completely black eyes. "You will need to remain here for at least this next week so that we may monitor the initial healing process. We would also suggest that you not get up today or the better part of tomorrow. Your wounds are still at high risk of reopening. We would not want you to bleed out any more than you already have."

Jim could only nod in resignation as he tried to relax, his previous experiences with hospitals making him already dread the thought of the extended stay looming ahead of him. "No. Of course, nobody wants that. Myself most of all. Thanks for sewing me up. But Zara, honey, are you ok? I mean, obviously you're sitting here and all, but did they hurt you? That bruise, did...did he hit you?"

Zara quickly covered his raised hand with her own, doing her best to smile reassuringly as she gently shook her head. "Nothing like that. I hit the pavement hard when he got mad at me, but it wasn't even him. I was just too tired to keep up with them. I'm alright, Jim. Nothing for you to worry over. I'm more concerned about you. I need you to be good and do everything they ask of you. Kinda need my husband in one piece. You're my ride home."

Giving only a soft chuckle in response, his gaze locked with Zarabeth's, Jim slowly realized that something was off.

Zara's face was no longer painted and her hair was now pulled back and off of her shoulders, but she was still wearing the native clothing from Inyang's moon.

"Zara, your arm...That's not a new bandage. And that cut there on your forehead...Why haven't they treated you yet? Nurse, why haven't you-"

"Jim, no lay back. It's ok. I just didn't want them to do anything till you were awake again. I wanted you to see me first."

"Alright, I've seen you. Nurse, get her fixed, would ya? This is my wife sitting here."

"Captain Hawkins, your wife resisted my help because in order for me to treat her, she would need to be checked into her own room. Hospital policy."

"Her...Her own room? That's crazy. She's been sitting here all this time and you couldn't even change that bandage? Look at it, it's filthy! Who knows where it's been?"

"Jim, please. She's just doing her job. And I knew you wouldn't like this, but they already have my room ready down the hall."

"Well then I'm coming too."

"Jim, stop it. You're acting like a child. Pouting has never suited you. Dare I say, it's not even cute."

"Not cute? Everything I do is cute! You've said so yourself!"

It was the sound of quiet laughing which made the two pause in their exchange, both gazes turned to see the nurse smiling like a fool as she leaned against the wall by the hospital bed.

The alien woman shielded her mouth with her hand as she managed to speak between her small chuckles. "I-I do apologize, but it can't be helped. I've not had an entertaining patient for weeks, let alone two, married at that. But I must reiterate that I would be severely reprimanded if I did not take Mrs. Hawkins to her designated room. The higher staff does not look favorably upon treating patients together, simply so as to avoid the possibility of cross contamination."

"Cross-Cross contamination? What are we, food?"

"Jim, please. You are being a real pill right now."

"I just endured three days of torture at the hands of terrorist smugglers, got separated from you for longer, and thought you were dead at least twice within that span of time. I think I have every right to be a 'pill' about this. I will stay with my wife one way or the other. Now, nurse, are you going to treat her here or are you going to have to take me to her room?"

The nurse stood there without a word for a few tense moments of silence, the look in Jim's eyes softening to almost those of a desperate child as he smiled sweetly.

"It's also our first anniversary."

With a deflated breath in resignation, Zara let her head drop into her good hand, making no attempt to hide her embarrassment at Jim's relentless begging.

"You are aggressive, Captain. Most impressive considering your frail state. Though I admit, you're hardly as close to death's door as when you first arrived. I suppose I have no choice but to surrender to you this time. I won't fight with a naval officer for any longer than I have to, for any reason. But breathe a single word of this to anyone and I'll make certain your every meal here will become more tasteless than the last."

Jim chucked in satisfaction as he laid back against the pile of pillows behind him, his smile more of a smirk in triumph than anything. "Well played. Hospital threats are more effective than you'd think."

"Mrs. Hawkins, if you'll allow me to take a quick blood sample, I will run some tests before I return with the other things I need."

"Thank you, nurse. We are very grateful."

After letting her draw a small vile of her blood, Zara waited until the woman had left the room before giving Jim's arm a playfully light slap, her look partially warning, but with amusement still in her eyes. "You are impossible, you know that?"

"Hey, now. It's been a long week. I'm not letting you leave my sight till each and every single one of those scumbags is dead in his noose."

"I love you too."

Closing the distance between them, Zarabeth's lips against his were almost fearfully gentle, instinctively hesitant to do anything to hurt him, despite her reaction only moments ago.

The boy released a long sigh as he watched her sit back up away from him, his habited half-smile easily eclipsing his lips.

"A few more of those and I'll be good as new. Though I suppose they won't let me out of here before McCoy's trial."

"I dunno about that. They have a lot of smugglers to process, witnesses to dig up. I'd assume they'll need you ready to testify against him like they needed me for Evanna's. Jim, speaking of Ewen...There's something you should know."

Turning so that she could better face him, Zara held to his hand with both of hers as she looked distractedly down at the sheets beneath her, knowing how much her next words were sure to hurt Jim.

But it didn't matter. He needed to hear them.

"Ewen held William and I hostage while they intended to hand weapons over to some rebel leader. They took us into the slums to do the handoff, but this man he called Gantry wasn't there to meet us. Silver was there instead."

Jim's brow furrowed in thought as he kept his eyes trained on her. "Morph came back and was able to explain that Silver was going to help. Obviously he's the reason you're even here. Has he left already then? Morphy will be disappointed he didn't get to say goodbye."

"Jim...He...He didn't leave. He's still on Rhitan. The officers arrested him."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Zarabeth quickly stopped Jim's attempt to sit up, her own look becoming uneasy with the fearful disbelief flooding the boy's crystal gaze.

"W-What do you...They took Silver?"

Not trusting her reply in immediate response, Zara could only give a small nod as she dropped her own gaze to concentrate on her hand holding his, feeling his slight grip tighten a little on her fingers.

"I...I did everything I could to make him run, but he just wouldn't listen. He stayed willingly. Silver let them arrest him so I wouldn't be forced to lie to the officers. He was just trying to protect me, to protect us. Jim, I'm so sorry."

She couldn't stave off the tears which came to her eyes at the memory of Silver's last look, a look filled with too much peace for the fate he knew awaited him for staying behind.

Zarabeth hated crying, it didn't matter why or where, she just hated it, hurriedly putting her other hand to work as she did her best to clear away the tears falling helplessly over her cheeks. She couldn't be doing this. She had to pull her emotions back together for her sake, for Jim's. They were both worried about Silver now, Zara couldn't make him worried about her as well.

It was his gentle touch, warm and hesitant against her face, which made Zara turn her gaze back up to his, the unexpected look filling Jim's eyes making her so unsure of what he was truly feeling. Frustration? Hurt? Resignation? She couldn't completely understand it, a hint of undeniable tenderness all the while behind it.

For a while, neither of them spoke, their eyes meeting in those silent moments teaming with emotions inexpressible by word alone. It was in a touch, his gentle look, the way he managed a sad sort of smile for her as he finally found the composure to put together a coherent thought for her with each soft word.

"Zara, there was obviously nothing you could have done that you hadn't already tried for him. Silver knew what he was doing, no matter how painful he knew it would be for you, and for me. It hurts me to think of what they'll do, but I'm angry too.

I'm angry at myself for not having been there to keep this from happening at all. I'm angry that Ewen got his claws deep enough into Felix to make him tear apart this perfect little world I called mine. I'm angry that I couldn't protect you on my own ship.

Silver came because you were trying to save me and my men. He rescued you and I was stuck lying here out cold instead of being down there with him to see you safe myself. They arrested him because I couldn't be there when you needed me most. And I'm sorry."

Zarabeth let Jim steadily pull her close, drawing nearer to him until her forehead was gently cradled against his, her few tears falling to mix with his own as he released a heavy breath in surrender to the feelings overwhelming his mind.

"Zara, I will get him back. I won't let them kill Silver."

"Jim, there's nothing you can do now...It's over."

"I am a captain of the Royal Navy. It's not over till I say it is."

Despite the conviction in his voice, Zara couldn't help the soft laugh which managed to escape her, trying to recover her mistake as she let her lips meet his in a tender kiss. "I've missed you."

"You've no idea."

Taking her reactions in stride, Jim gently wound an arm about her to pull the girl closer, his other hand clearing his cheeks before carefully undoing her hair to let his fingers freely get lost in its unruly waves.

"But Zarabeth, I'm dead serious. I won't let them keep Silver without a fight. Even if they lead him up to his noose, I'll still be doing everything to stop it."

"I know you will."

"I'll start by getting a message to the courts to try to delay the trial, at least until they let me out of here."

"I do apologize for the delay, but the supplies were interesting to acquire without suspicion."

The two quickly sat farther apart at the sudden reappearance of the nurse, the alien woman almost completely ignoring them again as she laid her smuggled goods down on this table and that counter before pulling a small medical bench alongside the bed, lightly patting its metal surface with an inviting smile.

"Alright, Mrs. Hawkins. Let's fix you back up, shall we?"

Carefully moving off of the hospital bed to sit atop the cold bench, she gave Jim a reassuring smile as she hurriedly wiped away at what were left of the tears lingering beneath her eyes. "Thank you again for doing this. My husband is stubborn like a toddler when he wants me around. Just ask his superiors."

The nurse started by carefully removing the haphazardly wrapped excuse for a bandage covering her left arm, the woman's every move precise and gentle in her attempts to keep Zarabeth from any unnecessary pain.

"These small lacerations are a result of glass, you said?"

"Yes, I was able to take out the larger pieces myself, but the people who helped me removed what they could of the rest, so I'm not entirely sure how much is still there."

The nurse paused for a moment before placing a pair of rimless glasses to balance on her nearly flat nose, her large eyes only magnified further through the lenses as she leaned in close.

"I am baffled, Mrs. Hawkins. There seems to be no indication of any neglected glass. These precise cuts over your arm are that of a medical-grade scalpel or some other tool, clearly used to remove the glass. They were more than thorough. I need only bandage your arm properly in order for it to heal. There should not be any scaring as a result."

Zarabeth smiled softly down at nothing in particular as her mind wander back to Nomie and her people, feeling more and more grateful for the help they gave to her. She couldn't help but wonder if they had already returned to the forest moon, feeling unavoidably dissatisfied with their parting and her inability to properly thank them for everything they had done for her and Jim.

"Mrs. Hawkins?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry. You were saying about the tests?"

The nurse smiled patiently down at the girl beneath her as she finished wrapping her arm in clean bandages, routinely checking the girl's vitals as she continued, now convinced of Zarabeth's full attention.

"I had the scanners run all known tests against your blood to seek out the smallest signs of infection or other such viral or bacterial presences, but you'll be glad to know that no such things were detected."

"That's a relief. I think you can only handle one infected Hawkins at a time. This one here's enough of a handful already."

Zara gave a small chuckle at Jim's response to her teasing, finding herself thinking him even more comically cute with the mocking sour look he gave her.

The girl instinctively winced as the nurse went through the motions of cleaning and bandaging the few gashes and cuts sporadically covering her, not returning her attention directly to the alien woman. Zara preferred to keep her gaze constant with Jim's as the boy carefully took her hand for comfort, gratefully accepting it as her grip tightened every once in a while for relief.

"You will also be relieved to hear that despite the trauma you've endured, your human chorionic gonadotropin levels are strong and should continue to steadily climb. So as far as I can tell without doing further testing, your baby appears to be unharmed."

"My-My what?"

Looking down, the nurse seemed puzzled by the shock in Zarabeth's expression, the woman turning a little to see the same look from Jim as she attempted to laugh away their awkwardly blank stares.

"Your baby. Mrs. Hawkins, you are three weeks pregnant."

"P-Pregnant? I'm...pregnant?"

For a few moments, Zara could only sit there in stunned disbelief, the nurse's words finally beginning to take root as she distantly turned her gaze to Jim beside her, giving the boy's hand a small squeeze to grab at his attention.

"Jim? Please say something."

The boy stayed silent another moment before swallowing hard, a distant smile gradually crossing his lips as he spoke in distracted disbelief at the wall opposite him. "Baby..."

The word seemed to bring his mind back into full clarity as he sat up enough to completely face Zarabeth, pulling her close to tenderly kiss her before separating just enough to manage his words between small bits of his undeniably overjoyed laughing.

"Zara, we-we're pregnant-you're pregnant! You're gonna have a baby, and I...I'm gonna be a dad."

Unable to do anything at first but simply nod with her own soft laughter, she smiled so hard it began to hurt her cheeks as she let Jim kiss her over and over again.

"I-I can hardly believe it. Jim, we're gonna be parents."

His smile in that moment, Zara knew it had never been more gentle, Jim's hands on either side of her face so steady in assurance, gently holding her as he closed his eyes.

His forehead moving to lean against hers, Jim spoke so that only she would hear him, making her able to believe in that small moment that they were the only two people in the world. Well, now three.

"Thank you."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Zarabeth couldn't help how she flinched at the piercing grind of metal against stone as she watched the officer pull the door open with painful slowness. The atmosphere of the prison was already enough to unnerve her, let alone the level of secrecy which she and Jim were forced to preserve in order to keep this meeting away from any suspicion or scrutiny. This was not their home ground.

The girl relaxed a little at Jim's tender touch against her hand which she realized was gripping rather firmly to his arm, doing her best to breathe calmly in order to better settle the distracted racing in her mind.

About to lead her in with him, Jim was stopped by the officer, the human man's look clearly cold and uncaring yet somehow genuine with his low words of warning.

"Any steps you take are at your own risk. The bars will sufficiently separate you, but they cannot keep him from grabbing at you or your wife if you get too close. Be sensible, Captain."

"Thank you, sir. I can assure you that both my wife and I are fully aware of what we are doing. You can go now. We will find you back in the office when we have concluded our business here."

It was taking everything in Zara to conceal the anxiousness she felt so sharply. She couldn't let on to how eager she was for the man to simply leave them be, fearing that even every simple breath she took was enough to call their intentions into question.

Waiting in her own tense silence, Zarabeth watched in complete relief as the officer grew steadily smaller with his steady pace back down the long hallway toward the front entrance of the prison.

"Took him long enough."

Zara had to agree with Jim's irritated remark, feeling much better knowing that they would be alone and at liberty to do and say as they pleased.

The two walked through the narrow doorway arm-in-arm, both somehow supporting the other, emotionally more than anything, as they stepped into the distinctly cooler space which made up the small prison cell.

"Zara! Jimbo! What in the wide world are ya doin' 'ere?"

Jim released his hold on Zarabeth to let her go to the wall of bars separating them from Silver, the boy cautiously looking up and down the silent hallway before closing the door behind him with as little noise as possible before rejoining his wife, a nearly undetectable limp still evident in his step as he shied away from aggravating his still aching hip. "We're here to see you of course, old scalawag. Quite the place they've got you holed up in."

"Ain't it though? Right depressing i'tis. No wonders half t'e men in 'ere don' live ta sees a courtroom at all. But look at ya, lad! You're upright, walkin' around even. They patch ya up good an' proper?"

"They did, though I'm more than a little happy to be out of there. A week and a half was long enough for me."

"I don't blame ya, Jimbo. Spent more than ma fair share in one of 'em blasted hospitals."

Silver's words were unintentionally emphasized with a pained grunt as he sat up from where he'd been lying on the small cot positioned in the far corner of the cell, the sight pulling a small gasp from Zarabeth as the rough blanket fell away from him.

"Silver, you-you're arm. They-"

"Aye, lass. T'ey took me arm. Though can't say's I blame 'em. Too many o' ma gadgets and gizmos made t'em a bit too uneasy. Understandable, I suppose. Easy now, Zara. I'm alright. T'anks ta yer husband, I'm bound for a fair fight in court tomorrow."

The girl waited patiently as the cyborg got up to make his way over to them, his gait clearly foreign even to himself without the weight of his metal arm to even his step, only the socket and a few short wires left of what was before.

It was the clanking and scraping of chains which truly broke what was left of Zara's composure, the anger and hurt she'd worked so hard to burry before now restored at the sight of the rusted metal secured over his ankle.

Her hold on the bars between them tightened till her knuckles were white, only trusting her voice after releasing a heavy breath to try to dispel some of her pent-up feelings. "Chaining you like you're some sort of monster..."

"Zarabeth, I've committed treason against ta crown, murdered innocents, destroyed more lives t'an I care fer yeh ta imagine. I am a monster."

"Silver that isn't you anymore! It's been over five years, can't they see that?"

The cyborg sat down on a small stool alongside them, releasing a long and tired sigh as he reached his good hand out for hers through the bars.

"Listen, lass. It's true, I'm not t'e man I was before, but I was a pirate, feared an' hated for well on double that time an' doubled again. I'm no saint, Zara. I'm not even a good man. All I am now is because o' you both. I'd 'ave never stopped if I hadn't run into ya rascals, an' t'ey would've caught me someday, I can safely say dat.

But I won't have either o' you feelin' sorry fer me. I 'ave lived a long an' full life, and it truly started t'e day I walked aboard t'e Legacy. Now, keep a stiff upper lip fer me, aye? Good lass. Jimbo, you let dis t'ing run its course. No outbursts ta get ya hurt now, ya hear me? You've got a beautiful wife ta think on firstly. I've been one foot in a coffin for well on a decade now. T'is'll simply scurry along t'e whole process."

Jim's brow furrowed in frustration with the momentary bit of silence filling the room, the words building up in his mind falling from his lips one after another in decided surety.

"Silver I'm going tomorrow to defend you, not to sit there and watch without a word as you're condemned to your hanging. If they insist on taking you, they're bound to do it, but not without the only fight I can offer you."

"Jimbo, you need not-"

"I'm doing this willingly, Silver. You can't stop me."

His mouth left open with words yet to be said, the boy hesitated before releasing a heavy breath as he dropped his gaze away from the cyborg's. "Because you would do the same if it was me inside this cage instead of you."

Clearly too stunned to make any reply, Silver simply sat there, his gaze unmoving from Jim's as he listened in respectful silence to all that the boy wanted to say.

These were things Jim had always felt, but never wished to say. He'd never wanted them to be necessary. He was saying goodbye.

"You're the only man I ever considered a father to me. Even after seeing my dad again, I still felt like he was too late. His spot was taken. I never trusted someone as far as I could throw them, but you changed that. You looked at me like I was worth something, or at least more than others had. The mutiny back then should have made me hate you, but it didn't. Well, I did for a while, but I couldn't stay that way. I still look back and feel like it didn't even happen.

Silver, you've done more for me and Zarabeth than we can ever repay. Being around when you need us is all we can offer, and you've done more than your fair share of saving. You're still doing it. I don't want to say thank you, because I wish I didn't have to. We'd much rather be sending you back on your way, ready to not see you for another year or two. At least you'd still be only a flight or family crisis away."

Eyes turned away, Jim's attention was brought back to the cyborg as he felt his hand gently laid against his shoulder, the alien man staring up at him completely at peace.

"Jimbo, lad...You've warmed t'is old heart right well. I've not had anyone ta give me children, but you're as much my son as if ya were ma own flesh an' blood. Now, I'd say t'e same fer you, Zara, but then it'd be odd 'cause ya two are married an' all."

Despite the somber atmosphere surrounding them, the two managed to laugh a little at Silver's attempt to lighten the mood, letting their hands come together to hold tightly to one another as Zarabeth looked down with a gentle smile.

"Silver, there is something we want you to know, something that pains us both in having to tell you here, but it is happy news."

Her eyes moving back up to meet the cyborg's expectant gaze, the girl laid a light hand over her stomach, the smile in her eyes glinting with her leftover tears as she spoke past the breaking in her voice.

"I am pregnant. Jim and I are going to have a baby."

She couldn't help how she laughed at the change in Silver's look, his entire countenance shining with happiness and surprise as he stood to let his hand rest against her cheek.

"Are ya really? You're with child, lass?"

The cyborg gave a hearty laugh at her nod in confirmation, his look as proud and pleased as either she or Jim had ever seen him, Silver's hand moving from her to clap Jim firmly on the back.

"Well done, Jimbo. I've lived ta see t'e day...t'e day my cabin boy captain became a father o' his own."

Zara's smile softened at the sight of the few tears which managed to leave Silver's eyes, the cyborg as quick to clear them away as they fell before returning to his seat.

Turning between the two of them for a few moments of content silence, Silver's eyes filled with a look that could only be described as hopeful as he let his gaze move to concentrate on the girl in front of him, his voice hesitant with his soft smile. "May I?"

"Of course."

Zarabeth moved as close to the bars as she could, watching with her own gentle smile as Silver's hand timidly felt her stomach, the cyborg's look almost overwhelmed as he fought to keep his voice even with his soft words.

"Little one? I know yer in t'ere. You listen ta yer Uncle Silver, right? I won' be seein' ya meself, but I need ya ta promise me a few t'ings since I can't be around ta meet ya when t'e time comes. You mind yer mama and papa. They be good people an' they're gonna look right well after ya."

Zara found herself slowly grabbing for Jim's hand again as she listened without the slightest sound to interrupt Silver, biting down hard on her lip to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes once more.

She wanted things to be different. It wasn't right.

They were saying their wishes and goodbyes to a man who had little chance of seeing the next day's end, forcing him to think on in regret at what might have been as he spoke his careful instructions to their unborn child. A child he would never meet.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Mr. Silver. You have been charged with countless crimes over the past three decades, including, but not limited to, pirating, impersonation of an officer, thievery, resisting arrest, mutiny, hijacking, acts of rebellion, the smuggling of illegal goods, and murder. How do you plead?"

The room was painfully silent, all those present too afraid of being accused as well if they so much as even coughed. It wasn't their place to make even a whisper of a noise. The act of breaking the silence was Silver's job now.

"Yer honor, allow me ta set t'e record straight? Yes, I am guilty of t'ose t'ings, but it's been well on six years since I've hurt a flee-"

"Silence!"

Zarabeth flinched at the painfully loud fall of the judge's gavel against the wooden platform he sat atop, her hand gripping a little tighter to Jim's in near agony at how the proceedings had been playing out.

"You will answer a simple 'guilty' or 'not guilty', Mr. Silver. Nothing more. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, yer honor."

"Well then?"

"Guilty, yes, but remorseful all the same."

"Remorse means nothing here. I'm sure you are very aware of your current situation, Mr. Silver. These charges more than sufficiently give me the right to let the noose have you."

The silence from before was now broken by low comments and whispered murmuring from around the room, the sounds unsettling what little nerve Zara had left as she dropped her eyes to concentrate on her hand holding fast to a fistful of her skirt. She only looked up toward Jim beside her as his gentle touch stopped her hand's fidgeting, making certain that his words were only loud enough to be heard by her.

"Zara, this is all we can do for him. Just like we talked about. Yes? I can get down on my own, so you just wait for my signal and the judge's ok."

Simply nodding, since she didn't trust herself to reply, Zarabeth gave his hand a reassuring squeeze with her attempt at a small smile. Unwillingly surrendering her grip on him as she watched the boy got to his feet, Jim's raised his voice to be heard above the idle chattering reverberating over the walls on all sides, hoping to draw all their attentions at once.

"Your honor, if you'd allow me to speak."

Puzzled though the judge's look was, it remained masked of any other emotion aside from that as the aged human man sat back tiredly in his seat. "Captain Hawkins. Nice to see you on your feet. I was surprised to receive your message, but this is neither the time nor the place."

"In that, I would have to respectfully disagree. This is the time and the only place. After all, this is a court of law."

"Captain, I must strongly advise that you keep you and your wife out of this foul business. This is a matter of the system's security. We are charging criminals perfectly guilty on all fronts, not pickpockets or jaywalkers."

"But he is a citizen of this system, a man under the rule of the Royal family. The law clearly speaks to the necessity of a fair trial involving witnesses and lawyers to represent both parties, no matter the crime. I have seen pirates more covered in blood than him led through a fairer trial than this, and even they only received life sentences. Not a hanging."

It was at this point that Jim began to make his way from the upper seats which he had been sitting in, leaving Zarabeth only able to watch as her husband limped his way down the narrow steps to the ground floor where Silver stood chained to the defendant's post.

"Lad, what're yeh doin?"

Ignoring Silver's whispered plea, Jim made his way to face the platform supporting the judge's seat, his head dipped a little in respect while still keeping his eyes trained on the man's hardening gaze. "Your honor, I mean no disrespect, but I am here to speak in defense of this man, John Silver."

"Captain, you are treading on thin ice. You are calling into question the very dignity of this court. My court."

"I can assure you, that is not my intention. Mr. Silver is a friend. I say that without shame. He has saved my life on more than one occasion, and frankly, I owe him everything. Even my right as an officer of the Royal Navy. So here I stand, ready to prove to you that everything this man did here in Rhitan was to ensure the safety of this system, not jeopardize it."

"I will not ask you again, Captain Hawkins. Return to your wife and keep silent or leave this court immediately. I will not humor this insurrection any longer."

"But I will."

Every head in the room instantly turned at the unfamiliar voice sounding over the crowd from the top of the stairs, the room's reaction nearly seamlessly unified as they all instantly bowed low in homage to the man who'd made his presence known.

The squat man residing as judge froze in stunned surprise, his words in reply uncharacteristically timid as he fumbled through them with his head now facing the platform at his feet. "You-You're Highness. Forgive me, I was not aware of your presence. To what do we owe this great honor?"

Zarabeth had done the same as everyone else, but curiosity drove her to slowly tilt her head to the side just enough to get a look at the young alien man standing only a few rows behind her. She'd never seen one of the royal family before.

There he stood, as youthfully confident yet steadfastly certain as he seemed in all of his portraits. Prince Delaford.

The pale gray of his skin shone against the white of his dress clothes, a hint of red and gold in the accents of his jacket assuring all those present of his rank. Though for all his regal splendor, the young prince was clearly casual in demeanor as he let one of his hands push back the pure white hair falling over his eyes so that they might stay secured behind the ends of his pointed ears.

"Forgive me my interruption, your honor. I can assure you it is not done lightly."

Zarabeth's eyes continued to follow him as the alien prince made his way down to join Jim at the floor, the entire room relaxing back into its previous state as he signaled for them to be at ease.

It was clear to see how in awe Jim was of the royalty standing opposite him, the military salute he'd been holding all this time met with the prince's mirrored response, followed by the young man's gesture toward the judge's seat, his rich tone easily filling the room to break the uneasy silence.

"Just as this captain has petitioned for your aid, so too has my help been requested in the matter of John Silver's trial. Now now, don't look at him like that. Captain Hawkins did not write or speak to me. I was addressed by someone else entirely. So since I am the prince, future king around here, and this court resides under my rule now and future, I'm fairly certain I have the right to do things in whatever fashion I choose as long as it corresponds fairly with the law and my own good conscience. Yes?"

"W-Well, your Highness, i-it's just that-"

"Good. I'm glad we're in agreement. Captain Hawkins is right. Not all criminals have been treated equally, some even receiving less sentence than they fully deserve. But not this time. Your honor, this man here shall receive a full trial, witnesses and all to determine the outcome of his fate."

"Your Highness, I understand your good intentions for justice, but you don't quite understand. Witnesses need to be prepared, found, dug up from every corner. This man's crimes go back to before your Highness was even born. How am I to find witnesses now?"

The prince's smile never left, the look in his eyes as carefree as it had been the moment he'd stood up.

"Mr. Silver claims that he's changed. I believe we should see. We don't need witnesses of his crimes. He's already pleaded guilty to those. No, I'm talking about witnesses for his lifestyle now. And I fully believe we have more than enough. so, would you like to start this now or wait until after you've had your lunch?"


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Zarabeth's every attempt to keep her hands from visibly trembling seemed to be in vain, the girl resorting to burying them in the folds of her skirt as she tried to sit up a little straighter, unable to avoid the burning stares of all the eyes in the room. She didn't know where to look. Jim's gaze was among the others concentrating on her, but his look was warm and reassuring in contrast to the intimidating glare of the judge above her.

Flashes of memory were flooding through her jumbled thoughts as she remembered all too painfully how it felt to be in the witness' seat. It had only been a year ago when she'd been made to testify against the pirate lot that had kidnapped her. Evanna, Camellia, Damian, Logan. She remembered how exposed she felt beneath their deadly glares. But today was different. The eyes of the guilty party standing opposite her were kind and understanding. After all, they were Silver's eyes.

"Would you please state your full name for the record?"

Zara's attention was redirected back to the judge's seat as she attempted to ignore the evident annoyance in his tone. He was doing nothing for her nerves.

"Zarabeth Jane Hawkins."

"Relationship to the defendant?"

"I-I've known Mr. Silver for six years now. He was the cook aboard a ship I worked on."

"What is the nature of your relationship to John Silver?"

"He's like a father to me. He's been there for me and my husband since we first met."

"A pirate? Like a father?"

Zara found herself stiffening a little in the chair they'd placed her in, feeling more like the one under conviction from the way the man was leering down at her, clearly wondering if he shouldn't be clapping her and Jim in irons as well. He wasn't any good at hiding his suspicions or his annoyance.

"It's not like that. Silver has been guiltless from the moment he saved us from Treasure Planet. You all know the story. Surely you've heard it. He gave up the treasure he bargained our lives for in order to save us in the end. Since then it's only been him running and hiding to stay alive. He just wanted to be there for me and Jim. He's no more a criminal now than you or me."

The judge seemed more than a little unconvinced, his plump fingers tapping in irritated thought against the arm of the high-back chair he was lounged in.

"Mrs. Hawkins, I was told that when the officers of Rhitan rescued you that you claimed Mr. Silver to be innocent, but he was found at a sight clearly being prepared for a trade of illegal weapons to covert rebel leaders. How do you account for the intentions of his presence?"

Zarabeth knew she was failing at keeping her look from revealing how sickened she was by the man above her, the girl's tone frightfully even and calm to keep her from displaying the loathing emotions she truly felt towards him.

"William and I were held hostage by the smuggler Ewen McCoy. Silver had no part in that. I sent word to him in the hopes that he could rescue my husband, but he came after me once he knew Jim was safe. McCoy and his men are set to be hung or in prison because of his intervention. I can safely say that I would not have been left alive if the officers got to us before Silver had, and you certainly wouldn't have the smuggler lot incarcerated now as we speak. John Silver did not plan a rebellion. He stopped it. The only reason that angry refugees are not massing at the royal gates is because that courageous man chained there endangered his life to save all of ours."

"Tone, Mrs. Hawkins. This is my court you're sitting in, not some afternoon women's club."

One could almost touch the tension seething between the two, the momentary break in the stifling silence most welcome as the prince casually stepped forward once more.

"I'm sorry, your honor, but if it pleases the court, I'd like to request that I continue the questions from here. I consider myself adequate enough in all things law and justice, being future king and all. Allow me to be lawyer and you to be judge? We don't expect you to carry this trial all by yourself."

It was made perfectly clear by the way the judge's lip curled in annoyance at this interruption that he was fighting to keep from saying the thoughts clearly on his mind, the man finally sitting back in a huff of resignation as he briefly motioned for the young prince to continue. There was no point in objecting from the tone carried beneath the prince's words.

"Thank you, your honor." Prince Delaford was clearly satisfied with himself at his newly procured foothold in the proceedings, his confident smirk softening as it was directed back toward Zarabeth. His every step was long and assured, bringing him to quickly stand before her as he clasped his hands behind his back in an attempt to appear somewhat professional.

"Mrs. Hawkins. On the day which you were rescued, did you know what McCoy was planning?"

"Y-Yes your Highness."

"Care to elaborate?"

"He was going to deliver guns and ammunition to a refugee leader called Gantry. We got to the meeting place, but Mr. Silver had made it there first. He told McCoy that he'd convinced this man Gantry to stand down and call off all the plans."

The longer she spoke, the more at ease Zara felt, taking comfort in the young man's gentle tone towards her as her hands gradually released their iron grip from her dress.

"Mrs. Hawkins, do you know why I'm here?"

"W-Why you're here, Highness?" Caught off guard by the casual familiarity with which he coined his question, Zarabeth found herself looking in near confusion between the royalty standing before her and Jim's unwavering gaze just at the edge of the floor. "I-I really couldn't answer."

"Relax, Mrs. Hawkins, this isn't for a grade. No pass or fail. I just wondered if you knew how the officers of Rhitan found you and the smugglers."

"Silver mentioned that he'd told the officers, but I didn't even think to question how."

The alien prince seemed pleased with her replies, his steps beginning to slowly pace in front of her as he explained himself, clearly more than a little proud at his slow-building explanation, vague though it still was.

"He did contact us, or not me specifically, but someone else. Someone reliable. They trusted that he told the truth, so we acted. But never did anyone expect Mr. Silver to stay put. Why do you think he did that? Out of curiosity."

She knew why. She knew exactly why. The thought of it still made her look away in guilt, remembering how she couldn't convince Silver to run, how she was the reason he was now chained to the floor.

"For me...He stayed behind to be arrested. He didn't want me to lie for him, because he knew I would have. I...I would have done everything to keep from letting anyone find him. So he waited for you instead."

She'd hardly finished speaking before the room was filled with the judge's impatient interjection, his face steadily growing red with the anger he'd fought to bury beneath his expressionless facade, more than a little frustrated by the turn this trial had taken. "Was Mr. Silver also aware that I could have you arrested here and now on charges for obstruction of justice? You've tried to protect him all this time, you and your husband, but from what? From us, the law, from the royal family, your sovereign lords. You can no longer be allowed to make a mockery of this. I will have justice for this murderer's life!"

"Is that the act of a criminal, your honor?"

The rantings of the man sitting above her were cut short by Delaford's words, too calm for the situation at hand as he looked between her and the fuming judge. "Would a man, guilty of a crime such as rebellion, kidnapping, and attempted murder try to protect anyone but himself? Not John Silver. No, he tried to protect this young woman, the victim of a crime which nearly escalated to the point of no return. He chose to hand off his freedom, even possibly his own life, in order to shield one girl from harm.

Your honor, I would even go so far as to say that Mr. Silver has done a far more commendable act than we might understand. He's the reason we are still standing here and not fighting for our lives to beat down an uprising. A man with no rights in the eyes of most, a criminal, a pirate even, was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of peace and the lives of others, even if he only appeared to be saving one. Can you, in good conscience, sentence a man to hang who has shielded this system from war?"

If even a pin had been dropped, the entire room would have heard it, all eyes on the judge as he sat with a blank expression masking over any other emotion he could be feeling. He was clearly not accustomed to being crossed, by a member of the royal family no less.

"I ask again. Is that worthy of death?"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Zarabeth Hawkins, you're fidgeting again. Stop that. You look beautiful."

She could only obey as Jim gently took one of her hands into his, the gesture keeping her from habitually trying to smooth out the front of her dress as she walked beside him through the emptiness of the massive hallway. The well-lit passageway was leading them toward a grandly fashioned pair of double doors that opened up into what Zara knew had to be the ballroom, the sounds of lively conversation and the rhythmic clatter of feet in the midst of dancing already meeting her ears as she clung tighter to her husband's hand.

"Jim, aren't you nervous? This is the palace. The royal palace. On Rhitan. This is serious."

"But we're invited guests, honored ones even. Come on, hon, you're fine."

"Quite honestly, I feel ridiculous. I mean, look at me! This dress is huge! You'll be lucky if you can even get close enough to hold me while we dance."

Taking a step back to hold her at arm's length, the half-smile making its way across Jim's face was clearly pleased as he admired his wife in the glow of the solar-lights hanging about the hallway. "Ridiculous? No. You look like you're one of the royals. Princess Gatima has good taste. I don't know if I've ever really seen you in red."

Zarabeth felt her cheeks grow hot with her blush in embarrassment as she looked away from Jim's confident stare, concentrating instead on once again adjusting the ruffled sleeves of the ballgown trimmed in black lace.

"Good taste yes, but goodness is this thing heavy. I could hardly believe how large the box was when she'd sent it over to us. Or maybe I'm just overtired. Do I look fat?"

"Zara."

Looking up at Jim's short reply, the girl watched with her own soft smile as he closed the distance between them to tenderly kiss her, his hand still left caressing her cheek as he gave a small chuckle.

"It's too early for you to be saying those kinds of things. We've got the next nine months for all that. So please, pace yourself accordingly?"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I'll try to not be the crazy pregnant lady. And technically, we only have thirty-four weeks left. Give or take a day or two."

Zara closed her eyes in contentment as she felt him leave another small kiss against her nose, enjoying the feeling of his hand as it gently ran along the lining of the waist on her dress. Nothing else needed to be said. They both understood.

She couldn't help but think about how happy she was in that moment. No one was out to kill them. No work was left to distract Jim. It was just their little family of two, soon to be three, standing in the empty hall of the royal palace, everything at peace. There was only one more thing left to do.

Once they'd actually made their way into the ballroom, Zarabeth found herself unable to do anything but let Jim lead her through the throngs of elegantly dressed men and women. All she could do was look around in dumbfounded wonder. Everything was so beautiful.

The walls shimmered with the dim lights shining from the crystal chandeliers hanging almost idly from the layers of the high ceiling, the combinations of each small ray of light easily filling the room in a warm glow. Everywhere Zara turned, there was something new to see. Tapestries, tables, chairs, flower arrangements even, everything seemed flawless. The guests not engaged in dancing were drifting contentedly about the perimeter of the room, making the middle open for the lively, yet elegant dances taking place there.

But it was to the far side of the room which Zarabeth found her eyes straying the most, over toward the platform on which the members of the royal family were seated, six in all. The King looked as he did in the few portraits she'd ever seen, his wife, the Queen, just the same. Two of the three princesses were seated alongside their parents, the younger no older than eleven, yet managing none the less to present herself with just as much grace and elegance as her older sisters.

It only took a moment of glancing about to find the prince and his elder sister, the two surrounded by a throng of laughter as they recounted some event or tale with just enough animation to appear engaging but with as much refinement as one would expect of a royal.

"Jim?"

Her attention turned back to her husband, Zarabeth did her best to hear his words over the clamor of the room as he spoke close to her ear, quickly shaking her head in response as she understood.

"Jim, no I'm alright."

"I'm serious. Zara, you look nervous enough to hurl."

She let a hint of a smirk peek through her smile as she held his hand a little tighter. "You don't need to worry about that. I was already sick this morning."

"You stay right here, young lady, while I get you something to eat, or maybe just drink. You need to calm down."

"Then I'll just come with you."

"It'll be faster if I can quick get it for you."

"You'll do it even if I say no?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd better just say 'please' and 'thank you'."

"That's better. Stay right here? I'll be back as quick as I can."

Letting go of her, Jim leaned in to quickly kiss the girl's cheek before stepping in to become another face in the crowd around them.

Feeling suddenly more lost than ever at the absence of Jim's presence, Zarabeth's first mission was to find someplace to sit down, strongly questioning in that moment why she had insisted upon wearing those shoes.

Inspecting the wall closest to her, Zara determinedly slipped through the maze of people separating her from an empty armchair she caught sight of, hoping no one would take it before she could even reach it. Her feet, pinched and angry before, were becoming more aggravated the more she thought about them, not worrying so much about looking overly ladylike at first as she plopped down in relief against the chair's cushioned form. She was sitting. Done. Now for her shoes. Relief instantly found her as she slipped them off, hiding them beneath the skirt of the armchair to retrieve later. She'd rather be barefoot than deal with sore feet the entire stretch of the night.

"Zarabeth?"

The girl had just barely managed to relax before the slight touch of a hand on her shoulder brought her back into full awareness. If she'd been smiling before, it was nothing compared to how she reacted in that short moment of recognition as she instantly stood to embrace her friend.

"Nomie, I-I thought you'd all left already. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, to thank you."

"My presence is here now. And you and your husband are back safe. All of it is good again."

The girls held each other at arm's length, each looking the other over with undeniable happiness at being together again.

"Nomie, you look beautiful. I hardly recognized you without all that paint and everything."

"It is not the way here to be seen like that. My cousin was very certain when it came to making me ready for now."

"Your cousin? Who's your cousin? Or maybe I've already met them."

"You have made yourself known to her but not face in front of face. That is her dress she said?"

All curiosity suddenly left her as Zara's eyes went wide in realization, her blank stare lasting longer than she had meant as she smiled to mask over her own momentary shock.

"Gatima. Princess Gatima? She's your cousin?"

Amused by her reaction, Nomie smiled bright with the small ring of her laughter. "Be at ease, Zarabeth. I call her cousin because our races are. That is why the high seats here protect our clans."

Looking between her friend and the prince a little ways off, Zara smiled with a strange sense of relief, somehow feeling safer with that knowledge. "Nomie, did...was it you who spoke to the prince...about Silver?"

The alien girl's smile softened with the look in her amber eyes as she gave only a small nod.

Releasing a shaking breath with the emotions suddenly flooding her mind, Zara's hands held a little tighter to her friend's arms to steady herself, her words quiet when she did finally manage them.

"Thank you, Nomie. Thank you. I-I hope you know just how much this means to both of us, me and Jim. Silver he...he's more than a friend."

"A father, Zarabeth, blood or no should not be taken like that. He is a good man. I said words with him before you and your husband. I wished him to know that I was in debt to him of what he stopped for the high seats and the system of stars under them. He is very worth of saving."

"So, what does this mean for your people? I can't imagine your father will be pleased when you return home."

Nomie's look stayed as calm and cheerful as before, though it was her eyes which betrayed only the smallest hint of uncertainty as she spoke. "What has done is done. We are not in clear sight tonight. Only I am here. The others of our clans who came wait for me to go with them back tomorrow first light. I can do fine with my father. Thank you for the same, Zarabeth. Ah, but I see the face of your husband coming, so I shall leave you for right now. I will say goodbye before the end here."

The alien girl was ready to take her leave when Zara reached for her arm to stop her, releasing her gentle hold once Nomie's attentions were back to her as she held her outstretched hand to her friend like they'd done before they last fought together.

"You have been a true friend, Nomie. And I owe you everything. My life, and the lives of those dearest to me. I'm afraid all I can do is say 'thank you'."

The girl accepted the gesture by meeting it with her own before stepping away from her. "A friend, I know, we will always be, Zarabeth."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Following Zarabeth's glance, Jim found himself smiling with her as he pulled her a little closer, the cool of the light breeze washing over their flushed faces as they stood together in the quiet of the balcony.

"Yeah, it is. You're always reminding me."

She didn't know why, but the sky above, shimmering with its vibrant clouds of stardust, always made Zara feel at peace. Their chaotic chorus of colors told her that even in the darkest days, there would always be at least a little beauty left in this world.

Letting her head slowly fall to rest against Jim's shoulder, a small sigh in simple contentment left her gently smiling lips, her eyes concentrated in steadfastness to the sky above them. "I don't think I'll ever get enough of it. The Etherium's always there, so it should be commonplace, but I think that's why it helped me get through all those long nights. I could count on it, while nothing else was ever certain."

Her gaze was forced back to Jim as she felt him leaving small kisses against her hair which began to make their way down her cheek and to her neck, procuring a small laugh from her as she squirmed a little.

"Jim, are you even listening?"

"What? Can't a man multitask? If I want to kiss my wife, I'll kiss my wife. Besides, I'm not finished yet."

Giving in to his loving, Zarabeth watched with only a small giggle in happiness as Jim knelt down in front of her to gently kiss her stomach through the fabric of her ball gown, his words soft as he stayed close to her.

"I know you're still small, but you have a very anxious mommy and daddy waiting for you outside. Take your time, no rush, but I wanted you to know how much we love you."

Zara's hand began to habitually play in his hair until he finally stood again, leaning into his touch as the kisses he showered on her finally let her lips meet his, pulling back after a few moments with a small laugh. "You're silly."

"Well you married this silly."

"I know. And I love him."

She knew he'd see the hints of sadness washing over her look, her thoughts straying back to times and feelings she'd long tried to forget.

"I...I never wanted children in those days. I mean, I wanted them, but I'd forced myself to forget the notion. It was nothing but harmful. I-I didn't even think that I would marry. Being a slave was the only thing I knew, I was a product of it. I never wished that on anyone, especially not children that could've been mine. I stopped hoping, dreaming even, of this kind of life until I met you. Then...I couldn't stop thinking of it, of wishing for this."

Taking his hand into hers, Zara held it close as she kept her eyes to his, her last words becoming softer the longer she spoke.

"And I know that I've told you countless times, but I don't think I will ever stop. Thank you for this life, our life, for letting me become wholly yours."

The adoring look in her eyes only grew more sincere as her smile became a little lighter. "You're going to be a great father."

She meant it completely, but the moment she'd said it was the moment the light in Jim's eyes seemed to fade a little, his attempt to keep smiling not nearly as easy as it had been till just before.

"You think so? I...I'm gonna be honest with you, Zarabeth. I'm more than a little terrified."

Her own look softening with her sad sort of smile to try to reassure his, Zara reached up to gently push away the hair that had fallen over his eyes, her touch lingering over his cheek as she finally managed her soft reply.

"I know you are. And you have every right to be. You just don't want to be like him. But Jim, you're not your father. You never have been and you won't be now. This baby changes nothing. You are still you.

I thought I would be scared too, but it turns out I'm not. I hardly knew my mother, so I thought I'd have no model to follow, no one to show me how. But I have Amelia. And you have Silver. Everything else will follow naturally, I know it, because we'll be learning together."

Pulling her even closer, Jim's hands held protectively to his wife, the bits of fear remaining in his eyes gradually fading until they were replaced by a look he only ever gave to her. "This family, our family, is all I want, all I need. And I swear to protect it, us, you, our baby, and any that may come after, because you are my world. I love you."

His words warmed her heart in a way she always felt with him, letting her overwhelmed thoughts urge her forward as she leaned up to kiss him again, their touch hardly lasting a second before a voice from inside called out to them that it was time.

Jim released an almost annoyed huff as he tilted his head back with a low chuckle. "Always. Everyone's got perfect timing."

Managing to take a step back so that she might unravel herself from Jim's embrace, Zara moved closer once more to let her arm link with his as she nudged him teasingly.

"Focus, Jimmy boy. This is why we're here after all."

The ballroom, once echoing with laughter and dancing, was now nearly dead silent, everyone who had joined the royal family that night now standing together in a single cohesive mass of vibrant color and race to face the platform on which their rulers sat. Jim and Zarabeth had been ushered to the very front, their distance only a little over an arm's length from the structure, yet back far enough so as to clearly see those who sat atop it.

Zara couldn't tell whether she or Jim was clinging tighter to the other, both practically glued together as they watched the royal guards slowly usher a chained Silver up the steps to face the royal family.

He didn't even need to be urged, the cyborg immediately kneeling before the rulers with head hung low, the rattle of the metal binding him grinding together for only a moment before he was still again.

"Rise, Mr. Silver."

This was the first that either she or Jim had heard the king speak, his voice low and resounding as it easily found its way to every ear in the room.

"John Silver. You have been found guilty of more crimes than I can list, you yourself admitting willingly to each, but you have yet to be punished. You claimed, along with words from witnesses of close relations, that you have since then cleaned up your act, so to speak. I find that intriguing.

Upon further inspection of your records, along with the account my son gave me of your trial, you have been found speaking truth. Your reputation precedes you, the infamous cyborg pirate captain, but that image has long since disappeared. You have faded into obscurity.

Running, Mr. Silver, is no life at all. Some may assume you run and hide because you fear punishment. Your actions a short time ago say otherwise. You ran to preserve something greater than your own freedom, and that should never be taken lightly.

This system owes you a great debt, Mr. Silver. You have proven your upmost worthiness in every way, and so it gives me great pleasure to ask that your chains be removed."

The room broke out into quiet comments and whispered words spoken as they watched the royal guards free Silver of his shackles one by one, the old cyborg rubbing at his sore shoulder with the hand he still had, his back still turned to hide his reaction from them.

"Mr. Silver, the rights to hold a job, to stay where you choose, and to provide a living for yourself are yours to enjoy forthwith as you have need. You are, as of now, a citizen of this system and under the law and protection of the royal family according to all its ordinances."

It was for those next words which Zarabeth held her breath, flashes of memory filling her mind as she remembered what this moment was like for her those seemingly short years ago.

"John Vincent Silver, you are hereby, as of this moment, wholly and completely pardoned."

The End

And there you have it. Fifth story complete. Beginning to feel that writer's-remorse already. Only one more story to go! This has been one of my favorites to write so far, but I'm even more excited for this last one!

Writing will take quite a bit of time again, considering how little I personally know on the subject of childbirth (google, I swear I'm not pregnant XD), but I'm really looking forward to it actually. :)

To all of my wonderful readers around the world, thank you so so much! Your love, support, and reviews mean everything to me. I've gained the greatest connections and friendships on here, DeviantArt, and Instagram because of these fanfictions, so thank you all!

It'll be a little while, but, rest assured, I will be back with another adventure for you! Until next time!

God bless!


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